2012 Year in Review: Five Great Chicago Heights Patch Stories

We're taking a look back at five key stories we published in 2012, but feel free to add to the list in our comments section!

March 16, 2012 The Bloom 206 boy's basketball team kicked off a year of incredible athletic accomplishments in Chicago Heights when they went to the Class 4A State Semifinals. The excitement surrounding the moment made for one of the best photo galleries of 2012. Team finished 4th and game home to a ton of support from the City of Chicago Heights, including a pat on the back from Mayor David Gonzalez.  Oct. 29, 2012 A broken wrist for Brandon Kelly became a blessing for the Homewood Cancer Support Center, as he raised hundreds of dollars by donning a pink cast and asking anyone that signed it to donate money to the organization. To cap things off, Kelly got to see his NFL rookie uncle, Dennis Kelly, play his first game with the …

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Green Industry Gets Muddy: Electronics Recycler Fights Damning Accusation

Patch's five-part series examines a lawsuit that could change the way America looks at recycling companies and environmental watchdogs.

Where E-Waste Lands: Laws, Stigmas and Truths

An industry expert weighs in on the larger problem fueling Intercon Solutions' conflict with the Basel Action Network: Is it really wrong to export scrapped electronics?

The lawsuit war between Intercon Solutions and the Basel Action Network is based on one assumption: Exporting CRT glass is bad.  BAN accuses Intercon of "shipping waste to a foreign land and contributing to the poisoning of impoverished people in a developing country." But even if Intercon was responsible for CRT glass going to China, the outcome may not be as grim as we've been led to believe.  Need a refresher? Visit our summary page for background information.  Robin Ingenthron, CEO of Good Point Recycling in Vermont, long has been a proponent of exporting recyclables, including cathode ray tubes, to facilities in other countries. In editorials and blog posts, Ingenthron frequently equates the American aversion to exporting materials …

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What's in a Name? Heights Recycler's Fate to be Decided in Court

Both sides have a lot to lose as Intercon Solutions and the Basel Action Network explain the goals their lawsuits.

With lawsuits from both sides, the legal fight between the Basel Action Network and Intercon Solutions is a struggle for credibility and survival. BAN founder Jim Puckett said his goal with BAN's counterclaim is to get the truth, namely for Intercon to stop trying to ruin his organization's credibility within the recycling industry. But if Intercon were to admit fault, the Chicago Heights company could essentially be signing its own death warrant. Not only is Intercon CEO Brian Brundage seeking vindication, he wants to vanquish. "My goal, at this point, is to put them out of business," Brundage said. "If I get any kind of a judgment against them they’ll fold. If I get a $1 million judgment they’ll fold. They can’t afford to pay it. They’ve…

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Arthur W. Wiggins Jr.

6:51 am on Thursday, September 20, 2012

We need watch dog groups to augment the protection government provides us. In many industries the needed funding for the developers of these "standards", creates an underlying financial competition between the very entities that they are to oversee. In such cases where these monopolies and oligopoly exist, their purpose can become corrupt and at worse derisive. The South Suburbs needs Intercon …   more ›

Nonprofit and Ex-Employees Bash Heights Recycler's Business Practices

The Basel Action Network has not taken a lawsuit filed by Intercon Solutions lying down. Patch looks at the case against Intercon.

Jim Puckett has been at the center of negative stories about recycling companies for years. It's part of his job. A founder of the Basel Action Network watchdog organization, Puckett has busted wrong-doing companies for years.  In January 2010, Puckett took part in a 60 Minutes investigation that exposed Executive Recycling in Colorado for shipping hazardous waste to China, despite telling customers it did not. Puckett traveled with correspondent Scott Pelley to Guiyu, China, where viewers saw poverty-stricken people using unsafe recycling methods while being paid abysmal wages. That story was one of many that fueled the argument against recyclers exporting hazardous materials to developing countries. Since then, Executive Recycling has …

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darccel

9:54 am on Saturday, February 16, 2013

i know that there was tuves in that container i worked at intercon and i have witnessed this going on   more ›