Keystone Today

Last week, Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced that the former owner of M&S Sanitation Sewage Disposal and Pike County Environmental was charged with violating the Solid Waste Management Act. At least 60 tons of solid waste was improperly disposed of.

James Muir, 79, was arrested on four charges of unlawful conduct, which is a third-degree misdemeanor. Each offense occurred at Pike County Environmental Inc. at 1116 Delaware Drive in Matamoras without a permit between May 13, 2014 and Oct 4, 2016. Police reports said that sewage sludge and grit was dumped onto the ground and buried.

“The defendant’s choice to cut corners in the treatment process to save money not only endangered a clean and safe environment in Pike County – it was against the law,” said AG Shapiro. “Let this send a clear message to others about how seriously we take protecting our environment and public health. If you violate our environmental laws, my office will hold you accountable.”

The press release by the AG’s office said that it assumed jurisdiction over the case after a referral from Pike County District Attorney’s Office. The investigation involved Pike County Environmental and M&S Sanitation Sewage Disposal, which was owned by Muir. It found that Muir’s business model was to collect sewage form various operators under the M&S Sewage Disposal and transport to his treatment facility at Pike County Environmental.

The report said that when Muir started to have financial problems in 2013, he began directing the treated sludge and debris to be stored on-site and buried on the property rather than being taken off site to be properly disposed of. Some of the waste included plant screens, tampons, needles and trash placed in one-ton bags. This was found through interviews with multiple former employees of Muir.

The investigation found that debris and sludge was placed in and around the building, which was sold to a new owner in 2017. The new owner, Tony Lasaponara, dug up 50 sacks of debris that were buried and also removed 50 to 75 sacks of debris from the buildings. His records show that the four truckloads of grit weighed 60.35 tons. There were an additional 61 truckloads of sludge that was improperly disposed of on the site formerly owned by Muir. This was disposed of between February 2016 and October 2016 at Keystone Landfill.

The case is being prosecuted by Chief Deputy Attorney General Rebecca Franz.