TLA Pond View Seeks to Expand C&D Recycling Facility

TLA Pond View, an East Providence, R.I., construction and demolition recycling company, is seeking to receive approval from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) to allow the facility to boost the amount of construction and demolition material it can process each day from 500 tons per day to 1,500 tons per day.

John Walsh, a vice president of TLA Pond View, expects the DEM to grant the company approval by the end of April. The company first applied for the expansion in September 2009.

While the company expects to receive approval, there has been a fair amount of opposition to the project. Opponents say that the facility has generated excessive noise, dust and odors for residents near the plant. Leading the charge against TLA Pond View has been State Senator Daniel Da Ponte, who submitted a bill that aims to reduce the processing capability of the C&D operation.

The bill, (20011-S-0184), states that any debris processing facility, such as TLA/Pond View, within a 1,000-foot radius of a residential area cannot process more than 150 tons of waste per day. TLA/Pond View currently processes 500 tons of waste per day and is seeking to expand operations to 1,500 tons per day. The bill seeks to return TLA/Pond View to its previous workload of 150 tons of waste per day.

“This is a quality of life issue, and for those who live surrounding TLA/Pond View, their quality of life has certainly been negatively affected due to TLA’s presence and practices. No one is looking to drive TLA out of business, but there are serious issues present, most notably a rising trend of respiratory problems within the neighborhood. In order for TLA/Pond View to continue operating in the area, all of the health and environmental problems within the surrounding area must be fixed,” says Senator Da Ponte regarding the bill.

According to local press reports, TLA Pondview’s Walsh says that the DEM and city inspectors have visited the site on a regular basis, and the company has not received any violation notices.