WA state commission recommends $3.4 million penalty for recycling giant DTG Enterprises
The Washington state Utilities and Transportation Commission has recommended a nearly $3.4 million penalty for DTG Enterprises for doing business without the proper solid-waste certificate, the agency announced Tuesday.
The commission lodged a complaint against DTG Enterprises, Inc., which does business as DTG or DTG Recycling, for “violating state law,” according to a Dec. 24 news release. DTG is the Pacific Northwest’s biggest recycler of industrial, commercial, demolition and construction waste.
According to the news release, DTG received and collected nearly 187,000 tons of waste between early January 2023 and late June 2023 in Snohomish County. The company reportedly did not have the requisite certificate to do so.
“It’s disappointing that some staff at our state’s Utilities and Transportation Commission spent their Christmas Eve holiday targeting our state’s recycling industry and advancing the interests of the state’s garbage haulers,” a DTG Recycle spokesperson told McClatchy via email on Thursday. “We hope that their goal isn’t to see recyclable material diverted to landfills, which is exactly what would happen if the UTC sets the standard that all recyclers should also be garbage haulers.”
What is UTC alleging?
DTG received a permit in January 2017 that does not allow for the disposal and collection of solid waste, according to the Utilities and Transportation Commission’s news release. UTC fielded complaints for three years about the company’s operations.
“Staff communicated with DTG about the violations with clear instructions on becoming compliant and attached an application for a solid waste certificate,” the commission wrote in the Dec. 24 release. “The application was not submitted until July 2024.”
Under state law, companies must get a solid-waste certificate from the agency to receive compensation for transporting solid waste, according to the release.
An investigation found that DTG committed 3,389 violations when it moved as many residual solid-waste loads to facilities in Snohomish County, the release states. Each violation would incur a penalty of up to $1,000, per staff recommendation — coming to a total of $3,389,000.
“The number of violations associated with the suggested penalty is considered significant,” a UTC spokesperson told McClatchy via email.
Commission staff have also requested a cease-and-desist order telling DTG to refrain from future violations.
Looking ahead, a prehearing conference will be held by the commission to set a schedule for complaint review. The conference is slated for Feb. 6, the agency spokesperson said.
The DTG Recycle spokesperson called the commission’s move “misguided.”
“This is a misguided action based on incorrect information, and DTG Recycle will be filing a Motion to Dismiss in the coming days,” the spokesperson added. “We expect this complaint to be dismissed.”
UTC regulates the services and rates of investor-owned solid-waste collection companies and electric utilities, as well as water, natural gas and telecommunications companies, among others.
The commission recently announced that it has fined CenturyLink $133,000 over violations related to a lack of documentation and long wait times, The Olympian reported this week.
This story was originally published December 26, 2024 at 2:00 PM.
.jpg)