Recycling company indicted for allegedly dumping hazardous waste on Los Angeles County school

By Matthew Rodriguez

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    LOS ANGELES (KCAL/KCBS) — Atlas Iron and Metal Corp, a Los Angeles County recycling facility, faces more than two dozen charges for allegedly dumping hazardous waste onto an adjacent school in Watts.

District Attorney George Gascón announced the 25-count grand jury indictment on Thursday, which includes a charge stemming from an explosion at the scrap metal yard last month.

“We will hold companies accountable when they put profits over people and endanger the well-being of our neighborhoods. This latest charge is a reminder that the safety of our communities must come first,” Gascón said.

The owners pleaded not guilty and expected to return to court on Oct 28.

Atlas has faced backlash for the past few years after community members claimed the recycling facility has sent shrapnel onto the school’s campus and has exposed students at the neighboring Jordan High School to toxic chemicals. According to the Los Angeles Unified School District, there are dangerous levels of lead and other metals on the campus amounting to 75 times higher than what the Environmental Protection Agency defines as hazardous.

In 2021, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office sued the company for being a public nuisance. The City Attorney’s office alleged that the campus was once evacuated after a 6-inch shard from a military device blasted 1,500 feet into the air before landing at the school Additionally, the city alleges metal fragments have been ejected from the facility onto Jordan High’s campus at least eight times in 2020.

Four years later, problems at Atlas continued after an explosion on Aug. 12 sent smoke into the air right before students returned from summer break for the first day of the school year.

“We should not have to fight so hard to be able to breathe air that doesn’t cause cancer,” said Genesis Cruz, a recent graduate from Jordan High School. “I’m not a lawyer, yet, but I know that the decision in front of the judge is simple. Stop this company or kids will continue to be exposed to toxic chemicals.”

No one was injured in the blast.

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