Berkowitz Fat Company Fact Sheet
Newark City, Essex County
June 2007
PI# 440758
NJDEP conducts emergency removal of rotting wastes
and contamination at meat rendering plant
Background
On June 12, 2007, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's
(NJDEP) Site Remediation Program mobilized its Bureau of Emergency
Response to address large piles of rotting meat, bone meal, drums
of grease, petroleum wastes and soils contaminated with blood and
oil at the Berkowitz Fat Company on Bay Avenue in the Ironbound
section of Newark.
On June 8, 2007, a New Jersey Superior Court judge ordered the
meat rendering plant (also known as American Rendering Corporation)
shut down in response to a lawsuit that NJDEP had filed against
the company for failing to address numerous health and environmental
problems at the facility. These included the following:
- Rendering large quantities of meat without an air pollution
control system
- Improperly managing /storing meat wastes and petroleum products,
causing discharges to the air, soil and ground water
- Burning grease instead of fuel oil in the boiler in violation
of its permit
- Failing to install, calibrate and operate required air emission
monitors
The Court granted NJDEP unfettered access to stabilize the site
and address the gross contamination issues after Berkowitz Fat Company
failed to comply with the judge’s order to remove and properly
dispose of the piles of rotting meats, fats, bone meal and associated
wastes by 4 p.m. on June 11, 2007. The company had also failed to
comply with an order to immediately implement a pest control program
to curb the vermin population at the site.
Current Status
As of June 22, 2007, NJDEP had removed 398 cubic yards of meat
waste. The waste was picked up by a waste hauler and will be incinerated.
Petroleum products and other liquid wastes have been pumped or solidified.
An environmental contractor removed 10,000 pounds of meat/oily
sludges, 480 cubic yards of soil saturated with meat parts, blood,
fat and oil, and 21,366 gallons of liquid wastes.
Each area of the facility is being secured to address imminent
threats to public health and the environment. As vehicles and people
leave the site, NJDEP is decontaminating them with bleach, soap
and water. Vehicles are being pressured washed or steam cleaned.
NJDEP representatives have worked 17 hour days at the facility
for two weeks, and will continue to be onsite for several weeks.
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Please be advised that these cases labeled by OCR as inactive
may still be undergoing remedial activities but OCR has no involvement.
Documents that are available on this page associated with the
inactive list may not reflect the current status of a case.
Related Links
For more information, please contact NJDEP's
Office of Community Relations at (609) 984-3081.
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