Kentucky e-recycler in more trouble as reports unveil CRT dumping at facilities

WINCHESTER (Scrap Monster): The storage of CRT waste by Kentucky-based Global Environmental Services (GES) has again come under scanner, as media reports exposed large piles of CRT glass waste with excessive lead content at their storage locations in Cynthiana and Georgetown.

According to reports, the lead content in the piles of glass powder found at both these company facilities was nearly 10 times over the acceptable limits. Further, the lead levels found on the floors of these locations were almost 50 times higher than the acceptable level. However, company officials were not available to comment on the matter.

Earlier, the company had admitted to dumping CRTs in an illegal landfill in Scott County. The company officials had confessed that the employees had buried the electronics that were supposed to be recycled. Although the company has initiated cleanup of the dump located nearly 100 yards away from GES’s Georgetown, KY facility, reports indicate that local landfill has rejected to take the material, saying that GES owes nearly $40,000 in payment towards non-hazardous waste disposal fees.

Established in 2008, Global Environmental Services is a leading nationwide electronics recycler with a state of the art 70,000 square foot facility in Kentucky's heartland and a 56,000 square foot facility in Austin, Texas. The company had recently won a contract from Kentucky State Government towards e-scrap recycling services for Executive Branch agencies and political subdivisions of the state.

GES has already lost their R2 certification, after serious violations were found during a recent audit. In addition, the company has withdrawn its E-stewards certification following the CRT dumping allegation. The future of the company hangs in balance as both certifications are mandatory to do business in the state.