Connecticut Attorney General's Office

Press Release

Attorney General Renews Call For Legislation Requiring Licensing, Background Checks Of Waste Haulers, Prohibiting Abusive Contracts

January 22, 2009

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal today renewed his longstanding call for legislation requiring background checks and licensing for most solid waste haulers, as well as prohibiting certain trash pickup contract abuses.

Blumenthal has proposed for more than a decade similar legislation in an effort to drive organized crime and other unsavory elements from the state's trash hauling industry.

"These common sense requirements -- background checks and licensing -- already exist in other states and are long overdue in Connecticut," Blumenthal said. "The recent conviction of mafia-connected trash king James Galante is powerful and persuasive proof of organized crime's continuing efforts to infect and infiltrate Connecticut's waste hauling industry. It's time to consign these criminals to the trash heap, blocking their entrée into the industry through thorough background checks, tough licensing requirements and significant fines and jail terms for failing to comply.

"I have listened to the legitimate concerns of small operators and streamlined my proposals in response. I urge the vast majority of honest waste haulers to support this legislation, which will help purge the bad apples unfairly tainting and tarnishing their industry. I hope the General Assembly will finally enact background checks and licensing, as well as outlaw unfair contract practices that hinder competition and hurt small businesses and individuals."

Blumenthal's bill would:

• Require all solid waste haulers with four or more trucks to undergo a background check and obtain a state license. Any individual with a significant interest in such companies would also need a license and a background check;

• Allow a civil penalty of up to $25,000 for each day an unlicensed hauler operates;

• Allow a $25,000 fine and up to two years in prison the first time an individual is convicted of knowingly operating a trash hauling business without a license. The penalties would increase to $50,000 and five years in prison for the second and any subsequent violations;

• Limit to two years waste hauling contracts with individuals and small businesses;

• Allow consumers to terminate any automatically renewed contract;

• Prohibit haulers from requiring customers to disclose competing bids;

• Require haulers to limit customer contract renewals to no more than 30 days before agreements expire;

• Require carters to provide at least 30 days notice of any rate increase and at least 60 days notice of any assignment of an agreement to a subcontractor, giving the customer the opportunity to terminate the contract.