Oklahoma man pleads guilty to illegal dumping charges

An Oklahoma man pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors connected to the illegal dumping of shingles, a report by KFOR.com says. Kerry Lane collected the shingles after a 2010 hail storm in Oklahoma City.

The hail storm left behind more than $100 million in damage, the report says, and Lane dumped the shingles he collected from those damages behind a fence in Valley Brook, Oklahoma. The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) estimates a $4 million clean-up cost.

Donnie Leonard of Southern Grind LLC, Oklahoma City, decided to help recycle the material, the report says. The shingles were not separated from its roofing debris and additional trash, such as old engine motor parts and a La-Z-Boy chair, must be sorted through as well.
 
So far, Leonard has ground up 2,000 tons of material for asphalt mix and gravel mix.

Oklahoma and Canadian counties have purchased half of what Leonard has processed, the report says. Southern Grind will not process the whole pile.

According to the report, the dump site has led to a state law that requires all shingles recyclers to be registered with the state.