Ringwood Mines landfill site
Encyclopedia
Ringwood Mines landfill site is a designated Superfund
site in Ringwood, New Jersey
which was found to be contaminated with industrial
and hazardous waste
. Part of the 500-acre site extends into Ringwood State Park
. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the site was used for the disposal of paint sludge and other waste generated at the Ford Motor Company
's Mahwah, New Jersey
assembly plant, at that time the largest auto assembly plant in the United States. By the time of the plant's closure in 1980, "millions of gallons" of paint sludge - estimated as enough to fill two of the three tubes of the Lincoln Tunnel
- had been dumped in the area. Ford's own records show that during the period 1967-1971 alone, 11,350 tons of paint sludge from Mahwah was dumped at Ringwood. Ford claims that the dumping was legal, and between 1955 - when the plant opened - and 1970, the disposal of industrial waste was "essentially unregulated".
After 1976, when the disposal of hazardous wastes became more tightly regulated, the American Mafia
also conducted illegal dumping at Ringwood, and Vincent "the Chin" Gigante
of the Genovese crime family
reportedly threatened to execute a rival to secure the "rights" to dispose of Ford's paint sludge in the area. The involvement of organized crime dated back to at least 1965, however, when Joseph "Joey Surprise" Feola was executed by Louis "Fat Lou" LaRasso
- on the orders of the Gambino crime family
- for "stealing" the Ford waste contract.
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
site in Ringwood, New Jersey
Ringwood, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there are 12,396 people, 4,108 households, and 3,446 families residing in the borough. The population density is 491.0 people per square mile . There are 4,221 housing units at an average density of 167.2 per square mile...
which was found to be contaminated with industrial
Industrial waste
Industrial waste is a type of waste produced by industrial activity, such as that of factories, mills and mines. It has existed since the outset of the industrial revolution....
and hazardous waste
Hazardous waste
A hazardous waste is waste that poses substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment. According to the U.S. environmental laws hazardous wastes fall into two major categories: characteristic wastes and listed wastes.Characteristic hazardous wastes are materials that are known...
. Part of the 500-acre site extends into Ringwood State Park
Ringwood State Park
Ringwood State Park is a 5000 acre state park in Passaic County in northeastern New Jersey, USA. The Park is located in the heart of the Ramapo Mountains in Ringwood. It contains the New Jersey Botanical Garden at Skylands, historic Ringwood Manor and Skylands Manor, and the Shepherd Lake...
. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the site was used for the disposal of paint sludge and other waste generated at the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
's Mahwah, New Jersey
Mahwah, New Jersey
Mahwah is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 25,890. The name Mahwah is derived from the Lenni Lenape word "mawewi" which means "Meeting Place" or "Place Where Paths Meet".The area that is now Mahwah was...
assembly plant, at that time the largest auto assembly plant in the United States. By the time of the plant's closure in 1980, "millions of gallons" of paint sludge - estimated as enough to fill two of the three tubes of the Lincoln Tunnel
Lincoln Tunnel
The Lincoln Tunnel is a long tunnel under the Hudson River, connecting Weehawken, New Jersey and the borough of Manhattan in New York City.-History:...
- had been dumped in the area. Ford's own records show that during the period 1967-1971 alone, 11,350 tons of paint sludge from Mahwah was dumped at Ringwood. Ford claims that the dumping was legal, and between 1955 - when the plant opened - and 1970, the disposal of industrial waste was "essentially unregulated".
After 1976, when the disposal of hazardous wastes became more tightly regulated, the American Mafia
American Mafia
The American Mafia , is an Italian-American criminal society. Much like the Sicilian Mafia, the American Mafia has no formal name and is a secret criminal society. Its members usually refer to it as Cosa Nostra or by its English translation "our thing"...
also conducted illegal dumping at Ringwood, and Vincent "the Chin" Gigante
Vincent Gigante
Vincent Gigante was a short lived professional light heavyweight boxer who was known as "The Chin" Gigante. He fought 25 matches and lost four, boxing 121 rounds. On February 19, 1945, he fought Pete Petrello in Madison Square Garden and won by a knock out in the second round. During his successful...
of the Genovese crime family
Genovese crime family
The Genovese crime family , is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...
reportedly threatened to execute a rival to secure the "rights" to dispose of Ford's paint sludge in the area. The involvement of organized crime dated back to at least 1965, however, when Joseph "Joey Surprise" Feola was executed by Louis "Fat Lou" LaRasso
Louis LaRasso
Louis "Fat Lou" LaRasso was a New Jersey mobster and the longtime official Underboss of the DeCavalcante crime family.- Apalachin meeting :...
- on the orders of the Gambino crime family
Gambino crime family
The Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
- for "stealing" the Ford waste contract.