EXCLUSIVE: Western Environmental Waste Plant Television Tour

In December of last year, students at Saul Martinez Elementary in Mecca started getting sick from a smell in the air. Residents started to put the blame on a waste recycling plant three miles away.

“When we heard about the odors, we were really concerned,” said Mark Patton who manages Western Environmental.

The recyling plant takes contaminanted soil that is soaked with oil and gasoline, and workers turn it into clean soil used as fill dirt. The process takes anywhere from weeks to months to complete. They use microorganism to break down the contaminants. It’s a science that allows them to treat the dirt rather than putting it in landfills. “One of the things we take pride in is taking the contaminanted dirt and treating it to state standards, keeping it out of the landfills. Most organizations don’t do that,” said Patton.

Patton agreed to take News Channel 3 on on tour of the 40-acre property. The raw dirt is brought in and separated. Plastic and metals are sent overseas and recyled. The dirt is treated with special microorganisms. During our time on the property, the smell was almost nonexistant.

The contaminated dirt comes from all types of places. “It comes from gas stations, from developments that require clean dirt,” said Patton. In the end, the dirt ends up as good-quality fill dirt.

State officials confirmed Western Environmental didn’t have a state permit to recycle hazardous materials. According to the law, it may not need one. The recycling center sits on Cabazon Indian land which is sovereign. It may need only to comply with federal environmental laws, which aren’t as strict as California state laws.

The Environmental Protection Agency and the California Environmental Protection Agency are conducing tests and have required Western Environmental to change its practices. The final report is expected within days.