Judge Bans Omni Polymers from Using Central Toledo Facility until it Fixes Safety Violations

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The city of Toledo has been engaged in a months-long lawsuit against plastics recycling company Omni Polymers after the Environmental Protection Agency found numerous safety violations at its central Toledo warehouse.

On Monday, Toledo Municipal Court Judge Joesph Howe and the city's fire department decided Omni Polymers is permanently banned from operating in the building until it completes the proper safety measures.

 The decision resolves the legal battle that began in May when an EPA inspection found concerns with how the company was storing its chemicals at the facility on Nebraska Avenue. It also found a non-operational fire suppression system with no sprinklers or fire alarms.

The city's Fire Prevention Bureau and the EPA were both brought in to investigate and it was soon determined no one should be inside the building while the investigation was underway.

John Madigan, a senior attorney with the city of Toledo, then became involved, submitting the first injunction against Omni Polymers, which barred the use of the facility until it was brought up to code.

But the injunction came at a time when the company was struggling.

"After months of going through this, trying to make the repairs, they finally gave up and declared bankruptcy in Canada," Madigan said.

While Omni Polymers no longer operates in the building, it still owns, it so the city had no choice but to continue to renew the temporary injunction.

"The judge kept renewing that order until it became a permanent order," Madigan said.

Now, the building is figuratively caught between a rock and a hard place. The owners are bankrupt and can't fix the property, but nothing else can be done with it until they decide to sell, turning it into just one more abandoned property in a city that's full of them.

WTOL 11 reached out to Omni Polymers for comment, but when we called, their number said no one was available to answer the phone.

 Courtesy: www.wtol.com