EASTPOINTE, Mich. (WXYZ) — A second video has surfaced showing a Priority Waste sanitation truck dumping "garbage juice" on a residential street in Eastpointe, adding to growing concerns from residents.
Watch Peter Maxwell's video report:
On Thursday, video showed a hauler dumping the liquid on Piper Street. Now, a new video shows the same problem on Ash Street and Pleasant Avenue.
PREVIOUS REPORT: Priority Waste truck caught on video dumping 'garbage juice' in Eastpointe
Koryn Hernadi was at home Tuesday when the incident occurred. She checked her cameras and saw the driver dump the liquid five times on her dirt road.
WEB EXTRA: Video captures 'garbage juice' being dumped in Eastpointe
"Why would you do that? Why would you dump garbage juice all over the road?" Hernadi said. "I saw them slamming on their brakes, so that way the garbage juice would fling all over and dump all over our dirt road here, and it was very disgusting because we have a puppy we just got, and I didn't want him to licking up that juice because I don't know what's in there, like what can possibly be in there."
Hernadi lives four blocks away from Piper Street and believed the incidents were connected because they share the same trash pickup day.
"It must be connected somehow so I wanted to reach out to you," Hernadi said.
I called Priority Waste to ask if the same driver was responsible for the mess on Piper Street. Priority Waste confirmed it was the same driver and said they are fully aware of the situation. The company said the driver was reprimanded, training is ongoing, and a crew was sent to clean up the mess.
EGLE is aware of the second video and said the investigation is ongoing.
Eastpointe City Manager Ryan Madis provided a statement expressing dissatisfaction with the situation:
Eastpointe’s DPWS team and City staff reach out to Priority Waste as issues arise, and we continue to address issues on a regular basis. Residents are encouraged to contact our team for assistance, as we document each issue and work for its resolution. Priority Waste can be reached directly by calling 855-927-8365. We too are extremely dissatisfied with leachate being intentionally dumped on City streets, and we are working with Priority on this issue that is entirely theirs to address. Eastpointe is working to ensure that it does not happen again.
Hernadi's neighbor, Carol, found the video concerning.
"I think there could be carcinogens, and there's stuff in there, you know, there could be anything in there," Carol said.
I spoke with Wayne State University professor Carol Miller about the dangers of garbage juice. She was concerned about the videos since leachate is heavily regulated by the state of Michigan.
"The fact that it was in a residential area to me makes it even more of a concern," Miller said. "You cannot predict what's going to be mixed in and be part of that leachate soup that comes out of it."
Hernadi thinks more than a slap on the wrist needs to happen.
"He was trained in the first place so they knew it was something they shouldn't have done and I don't think a slap on the wrist is going to get it to stop," Hernadi said.
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