## NYC recycling theft ring nabbed
_By Jake Thomas, Resource Recycling_
Officials in New York City say they've apprehended individuals alleged to be involved in stealing cardboard from large retail stores in New Jersey and selling the valuable material to transfer stations, all while making a tidy profit.
The NYC Business Integrity Commission (BIC), a city agency that oversees business operations of some industries, has arrested three individuals alleged to be the perpetrators of a large-scale recycling theft operation involved with stealing tens of thousands of dollars of cardboard from large New Jersey retail sites. Two individuals, John Nichols and Neil Devito, were arrested in New Jersey and charged with four separate felony charges. Vincenzo Grasso was arrested on a parole violation in Staten Island. The BIC, the New York State Division of Parole and the New Jersey State Police jointly conducted the arrests.
In recent years, theft of valuable recyclable commodities has [had a deleterious effect on NYC's curbside recycling program][1], and officials in the Big Apple are pleased with the development.
"Today's arrests serve as a high-water mark in tackling the growing challenge of recycling theft in this region and puts these criminals on notice that there is zero tolerance for this illegal activity," said BIC Commissioner and Chair Shari C. Hyman, in a prepared statement.
BIC's investigation was triggered by a complaint that Vincenzo Grasso, a New York parolee barred from working in the waste trade, was attempting to get back into the business, [a chronic problem in New Jersey][2] and New York. Soon into the investigation, the BIC found that Grasso had enlisted Neil Devito in allegedly orchestrating a cardboard theft ring focusing on Walmart and Sam's Club stores in New Jersey.
According to officials, these individuals invested money into a company called "Metro Paper, Inc." Officials allege that the sole purpose of this company was to steal from retailers throughout the Garden State. With the value of cardboard hovering around $100 per ton, the volume of material generated by these stores made them an attractive target.
According to the BIC, the company sent trucks to stores across New Jersey where they posed as legal waste haulers. After scouting stores and indentifying a location, the alleged hucksters would send in trucks to steal the cardboard from loading docks and sell it at a handful of transfer stations in New York and New Jersey. At its peak, according to the BIC, the operation was running routes six days a week, using trucks from Straightline Trucking, a company owned by Devito.
>From April 2012 to the end of July 2012, BIC says its investigators observed 900 tons of cardboard that were illegally hauled and sold for approximately $103,000. Considering the value and frequency of similar thefts occurring at other stores in the region, law enforcement officials involved in the case suspect the operation is responsible for an even larger sum of stolen recyclables over this period.
The National Solid Wastes Management Association, a trade group that represents private-sector solid waste and recycling services, applauded the arrests.
"NSWMA is pleased that New York City and New Jersey law enforcement authorities are working together to combat recyclables theft," said Thomas N. Toscano, chair of the NSWMA's New York City chapter and the president of Mr. T Carting Corp., in a prepared statement. "NSWMA members in New York City are losing $8-10 million per year due to cardboard theft."
Ron Bergamini, CEO of Action Environmental Services, added: "The daily theft of cardboard hurts our entire industry, from small family-owned hauling operators to larger firms who lose the revenue, and their customers that feel the loss in greater fees. Today's announcement and the cooperation needed to get here is welcome across our industry, as this is not a victimless crime."
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[1]: http://resource-recycling.com/node/2806
[2]: http://resource-recycling.com/node/2322
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URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/2960
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