The Washington state Utilities and Transportation Commission has recommended a nearly $3.4 million penalty for DTG Enterprises for doing business without the proper solid-waste certificate, the agency announced Tuesday.
The commission lodged a complaint against DTG Enterprises, Inc., which does business as DTG or DTG Recycling, for “violating state law,” according to a Dec. 24 news release. DTG is the Pacific Northwest’s biggest recycler of industrial, commercial, demolition and construction waste.
According to the news release, DTG received and collected nearly 187,000 tons of waste between early January 2023 and late June 2023 in Snohomish County. The company reportedly did not have the requisite certificate to do so.
“It’s disappointing that some staff at our state’s Utilities and Transportation Commission spent their Christmas Eve holiday targeting our state’s recycling industry and advancing the interests of the state’s garbage haulers,” a DTG Recycle spokesperson told McClatchy via email on Thursday. “We hope that their goal isn’t to see recyclable material diverted to landfills, which is exactly what would happen if the UTC sets the standard that all recyclers should also be garbage haulers.”