Local couple penalized for hazardous waste violations

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster yesterday obtained a judgment against a couple who operated an electronic scrap recycling business out of their Battlefield home.

Tom and Cathleen Coffman, who were served with a summons and a September 2011-drafted copy of a petition by the state in June, failed to file a timely answer to the allegations in the petition, which claimed the couple's business improperly disposed of hazardous waste, according to a news release.

According to court records, the attorney general's office claimed the couple violated the Missouri Hazardous Waste Management Law by improperly documenting, disposing and labeling hazardous waste they recycled, such as used broken cathode ray tubes.

The defendants have been ordered to pay a $20,000 civil penalty and have been prohibited from further violating the Missouri Hazardous Waste Management Law, the release said.

“Electronics must be recycled in a way that protects human health and the environment,” Koster said in the release. “There are numerous electronic recyclers in our state who operate their businesses according to law. They should not have to compete with the illegitimate recyclers.”  

The case was referred to the attorney general's office in May 2010 after the Missouri Department of Resources investigated the Coffman residence based on a complaint by the city of Battlefield, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.