Geneva IDA locks doors of EWSI's Genesee Street, NY facility

KINGSTON (Scrap Monster): The City’s Industrial Development Agency (IDA) has locked doors of E-Waste Systems Inc. (EWSI) Genesee Street, Geneva, NY facility on failing to pay lease for the property in Geneva Enterprise Development Center, where it had been operating from. The employees of the facility have sued the company saying that they were not paid since mid-October to early-February, when operations were abruptly terminated.

A note outside the facility indicates that the site is closed and is no longer accepting electronic waste. It further states that dropping off items at the location will be considered illegal and will be prosecuted. According to City Manager Matt Horn, E-Waste Systems defaulted on its lease payments for several months, which has forced them to lock the doors. The employees, even though not paid for several months, had continued to work in the site until the facility was closed down.

The closure resulted in cancellation of recent e-waste collection event by the Cornell University. E-Waste Systems used to receive the items from the collection event. Sources indicate that huge abandoned piles of unprocessed CRT and CRT glass lie in the closed site. Estimates indicate that the site houses nearly eight truckloads of CRT and almost a million pounds of CRT televisions. The company’s Ohio facility near Cincinnati too had succumbed to abrupt closure last year. The employees at that site too were not paid.

The Basel Action Network (BAN) termed the closure as another alarming case of e-waste mismanagement. It called upon customers and business customers to do their due diligence. It also demanded stricter monitoring of facilities and timely enforcement of applicable laws.

With the closure of NY facility, E-Waste Systems now has only one facility in Irwine, California.

Meanwhile, calls to Geneva facility remained unanswered.