United States v. Dlubak Glass Company

On April 29, 2025, a court sentenced Dlubak Glass Company (DGC) to pay a $100,000 fine and complete a four-year term of probation. The company pleaded guilty to making a false statement regarding the storage of hazardous waste (18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2)).

DGC is in the business of processing and recycling glass products, including CRT (cathode ray tube) glass. Because they contain lead, used CRTs that are transported, stored, or disposed of can be considered a characteristic hazardous waste under RCRA.

DGC operated facilities in several states, including locations in Arizona, Texas, and Oklahoma. Pursuant to a Consent Order, DGC agreed to ship all the CRT glass at its Arizona facility offsite for recycling or disposal as hazardous waste. DGC later shipped approximately 4,000 tons of CRT glass from Yuma, Arizona, to its Texas facility, telling regulators that it would recycle the material by incorporating it into commercial products. 

When the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) inspected DGC’s Texas facility they observed piles of CRT glass onsite. DGC’s plant manager told inspectors that the only CRT glass present at the location was “processed panel glass containing no lead.” However, further investigation determined that DGC had improperly stored CRT glass and made false statements to TCEQ during the inspection.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.