DETROIT — Nearly 15% of the solid waste and about 7% of the liquid waste removed from the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, were disposed of in Metro Detroit, highlighting concerns about the dearth of communication between waste importers, regulators and communities.
Roughly 320,000 gallons of liquid hazardous waste out of 4.39 million removed from the site was hauled to a pair of Republic Industrial and Energy Solutions injection wells in Romulus, according to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. Approximately 440 tons out of 2,880 tons of solid waste was shipped to U.S. Ecology Wayne Disposal in Belleville.
Local officials weren't alerted about the importation of hazardous waste — which may have included vinyl chloride, a cancer-causing chemical that was among those released in East Palestine — until it already was here, said state Rep. Reggie Miller, D-Van Buren Township. Romulus was given "a courtesy call," she said.
