Construction Debris Processed, Sold As Clean Topsoil From A Farm: DEC

LEWISBORO, NY — There may have been more than meets the eye to the dirt being sold as "clean topsoil from a farm," according to New York State officials.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said that two Environmental Conservation Police Officers partnered with investigators from the Westchester County Waste Commission on April 10 to find an unauthorized solid waste management facility in the town of Lewisboro.

Once at the site, officers saw a dump truck being loaded with illegal fill material consisting of soil, asphalt, cement, plastic, lumber and glass, police said. They also came across large piles of illegal fill on the property of around 30,000 cubic yards and heavy machinery, including a commercial soil screener and two large excavators, according to the agency.

After interviewing the property owner, the officers discovered that the person was transporting construction and demolition debris from construction sites in Connecticut to the Lewisboro location, processing the illegal fill material with the soil screener, and selling it as "clean topsoil from a farm," authorities said.

The officers issued tickets to the trucking company for waste transport violations and to the property owner for unlawful disposal of solid waste and operating an unauthorized solid waste management facility.

They also provided the property owner with information to help begin the process of becoming registered and compliant with DEC's solid waste rules and regulations.