Firm Allegedly Hid Toxics Amid Trash : Waste: W.C. Richards Co. in Anaheim is suspected of pouring tens of thousands of gallons of hazardous sludge into a Brea landfill over five years.

Authorities say that an Anaheim industrial company has been disguising its toxic waste as common garbage and may have dumped tens of thousands of gallons of dangerous materials into a Brea landfill in the past five years.

Jaime Hirsch, hazardous materials specialist for the Anaheim Fire Department, said she received an anonymous tip last week that led to a weeklong surveillance of the W.C. Richards Co. at 1116 N. Olive St.

That investigation, Hirsch said, revealed that the company allegedly mixed byproducts from its paint-manufacturing operation with sawdust, and then topped off the toxic sludge with common trash before dumping it in the Olinda landfill. Last week, the company was dumping 300 to 500 gallons of waste a day into the landfill, she alleged.

“They just had a couple of guys and that was their main job,” Hirsch said.

Next week, the company will be charged with three felony counts of illegal treatment, transportation and disposal of hazardous wastes, Hirsch said. If convicted, the general manager of the Anaheim operation, Bruce Hale, faces a fine of up to $5,000 for each day of illegal dumping and up to 36 months in prison.

Louis Barta, vice president of the Chicago-based W.C. Richards Co., said he had not been notified of the allegations and was unable to reach Hale, who is on vacation this week.

“We are all kind of confused and shocked at this point,” Barta said. “This is really disturbing.”

Hirsch said the company was inspected in January and city officials found no evidence of illegal dumping.

The main identifiable toxic in the sludge, 1,1,1-Trichloroethane, gives off vapors that are known to cause lung and kidney damage, Hirsch said. County Toxic Strike Force investigators are looking for traces of additional chemicals from the oil-based paint, such as chrome and lead, she added.

The chemical poses potential danger on two fronts--in the underground water supply and to the workers handling the material, who, Hirsch says, were not wearing the proper protective gear. She also said that about half of the company’s 60 workers are illegal aliens.

Hirsch said it will be at least five years before the toxic will penetrate the landfill and the scope of health dangers can be gauged.

For the plat week, Strike Force members diverted trash coming out of the company to a work yard at Anaheim Disposal Co., where samples were analyzed for toxins.

“‘We’ve been observing them, and they’ve been doing it every day,” said Bill Diekmann, supervisor of the hazardous materials specialists in the Orange County health department.

Strike Force members also interviewed company employees, some of whom had worked at the business for five years, who said disguising the toxic solvent was a common practice, Hirsch said.

The toxins are a byproduct of manufacturing the industrial paint and also are left over after paint is recycled for use as a undercoat or primer. Paint can be recycled up to about 80%, which means the remainder has to be dumped, Hirsch said.

Properly disposing of toxics requires an analysis of the products, followed by disposal at a special site. That practice can cost about $500 per 55-gallon sealed steel barrel, versus the $13.75 per ton for for dumping non-toxics at the Olinda landfill.

The Tuesday announcement by Anaheim officials coincides with a Hazardous Materials Management Conference being held at the Disneyland Hotel through Thursday.

The city’s investigation “certainly points out the need . . . for people to understand companies don’t go to jail, people do,” said Jean Le Moin, a spokeswoman for the conference.