Canadian trucker charged for hauling “bloody” waste to U.S.
DETROIT, (Oct. 2, 2003) — A Canadian trucking company has been charged with illegally transporting medical waste for dumping in a county landfill in Michigan.
Macomb County prosecutors have filed charges against Milton, Ont.-based Garcha Transport Ltd. and two of its drivers. The company was the subject of a joint Department of Environmental Quality-U.S. Customs investigation into waste hauling across the Sarnia/Port Huron Blue Water Bridge.
The county’s assistant prosecutor Mark Richardson told news agencies that inspectors found numerous loose bags spilling out with syringes, bloody gauze, bloody medical gowns, IV tubing, bloody gloves and bloody bags. The waste, which was being hauled to the Pine Tree Acres landfill near New Haven, Mich., came from Toronto-area hospitals.
Michigan law requires medical waste to be in secure containers and that non-decontaminated medical waste be separated from other waste. Canadian trash accounts for about 40 per cent of the waste at Pine Tree Acres.
Garcha Transport owner Paul Singh has been fined $1,000 US for the misdemeanour charge. He declined requests from Michigan media for comment.
The news is likely to give fodder to U.S. critics who oppose Canadian trash trucked into Michigan. There are several legislative efforts on the state and national level currently under way to reduce the volume of Canadian trash exported to the state.
— With files from Associated Press
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