A Maryland man pleaded guilty to 17 environmental crimes Social

A Maryland man has pleaded guilty to 17 environmental crimes related to the illegal dumping and disposal of more than 250,000 tires in Allegheny County, according to Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown.

Michel Osei, 48, of Anne Arundel County, pleaded guilty to one count of illegal disposal for profit, eight counts of operating a tire recycling plant without a license and eight counts of improper waste management.

Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) inspectors first became aware of Osei’s work on October 7, 2021. The site survey and complaint documented that approximately 10,000 to 15,000 tires were located on the property. Osei had no permits and was storing scrap tires in the open, creating a significant safety hazard. MDE contacted the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office because of the seriousness of the risk, according to officials from the Maryland AG’s office.

The MDE and fire marshal have repeatedly ordered Osei to cease operations between fall 2021 and spring 2022. After Osei left the site in September 2022, more than 250,000 scrap tires remained on the site. Allegheny County has since begun cleaning up the area. site

Estimated more than 250,000 scrap tires abandoned by man in Maryland at former tire recycling plant (Maryland Attorney General).
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Osei claimed the facility he planned to run would eventually employ up to 50 people and “already had contracts worth millions of dollars to ship recycled tires overseas,” according to the Maryland attorney general’s office. The county offered Osei the land lease based on its representations regarding an industrial site along the Potomac River at 23302 Westernport Road SW in Westernport. According to representatives of the Maryland Attorney General’s office, the facility began operations on July 19, 2021.

Osei and his employees collected more than 100,000 scrap tires at various locations in West Virginia, where the tires were then delivered to a plant in Westernport, according to officials in the Maryland attorney general’s office.

“Beliefs like these are essential to protecting our environment and making it clear that businesses must recycle and dispose of end-of-life tires legally. We simply will not tolerate such irresponsible behavior,” said AG Brown.

The handling of waste tires is managed by MDE in accordance with Maryland law because it poses a risk to both human health and the environment. Scrap tires may only be transported by a licensed scrap tire hauler and stored, sorted or recycled at licensed facilities in accordance with the terms of the licenses issued by the MDE.