Dorm debris dumped illegally

A contractor has been caught illegally dumping debris from the demolition of the old Ashton Center at 10th and Union streets on a farm in rural Monroe County, officials said. \nHomrich Inc., the company handling the demolition of the Ashton residence hall complex, has been ordered to stop the illegal dumping and remove the materials, said Kirk White, IU director of community relations. \nThe Monroe County Solid Waste Management District received an anonymous call July 14 reporting demolition debris dumping in the 3200 block of old Indiana 446. After witnessing the large amount of materials involved, district environmental enforcement director Tom McGlasson made the decision to call the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. \nIDEM instructed Homrich Inc. to remove the "mixed materials" and take them to a permitted disposal factor, said Amy Hartsock, IDEM public information officer. As an alternative option, the contractor could submit to IDEM a proposal for beneficial re-use of the materials. \nThe "mixed materials" included painted concrete blocks, metal, pipes and plastic that must be removed from demolition debris before it is considered "clean fill," Hartsock said. Clean fill includes brick, cinder block, concrete and untreated matter. Clean fill cannot include any hazardous material and must comply with environmental regulations. \n"The contractor we hired had a problem with the definition of 'clean fill,'" said White. "The fill taken from the Ashton site was not considered clean, and it was not acceptable for fill purposes." \nAny construction or demolition debris not considered clean fill may be disposed of at approved waste sites, White said. \nIU and IDEM officials said they were both concerned about the dumping. Homrich Inc.'s actions were stopped when the problem was realized. Proper waste management is the contractor's responsibility and that contract was violated, White said. IU is following the situation to ensure corrections are made. \nIDEM is working with Monroe County Solid Waste Management to monitor the contractor's actions and ensure the materials that were illegally dumped are removed. Although the contractor dumped the debris with the farm owner's permission, 'clean fill' requirements have since been explained to both parties. Homrich Inc. has removed 90 tons of material from the farm, said Hartsock. \nThe Ashton residence hall complex is being razed so the site can be reused for another dormitory facility. IU hired Homrich Inc. to do the demolition because of its "long track record," White said. The Michigan-based company has been doing business across the Midwest since 1964. \nHomrich Inc. officials could not be reached for comment by press time. \n"The University did not make the mistake here," White said. "We were surprised when they [Homrich Inc.] made a mistake like this."\nHomrich Inc. had removed shingles and asbestos from the debris as required. The contractor is complying with the IDEM request to remove the illegally dumped debris, Hartsock said, and there will be no fines assessed at this time.