LINDON — It was not the answer problem-plagued Aseptic Services hoped to hear.
Instead of giving the medical waste and storage business permission to operate in the north Utah County city, Lindon officials Tuesday instructed the city attorney to file legal complaints against it.
Attorney Gordon Duval said an order to cease and desist operations has already been issued against the company because company owners have not obtained a business license. He planned to file additional complaints following the Tuesday meeting because Aseptic has not complied with a number of city requirements.
Duval said medical waste that is supposed to be destroyed within a week of receipt if refrigerated and within three days if not kept cold has been stored on the property for months.
He asked the council for the authorization to file additional notices of complaint. He was unanimously supported.
Duval said the Utah County Department of Health and the Utah County Sheriff's Office are waiting for Lindon to act before they take action.
Aseptic Services, formerly of Orem, relocated to the industrial area in Lindon in July and has been denied a conditional permit twice by the Planning Commission.
It has appealed without success to the City Council.
David I. Kali, the firm's senior manager, was expected to plead his case Tuesday — but he did not appear.
Kevin Smith, Lindon's city engineer, said officials have attempted to contact the business without success. Attempts by the Deseret News to contact the company also were not successful.
Kali last appeared at the Planning Commission meeting in January during which the commissioners reiterated a list of conditions that must be met before they would consider granting approval.
Those conditions have not been met, Smith said. Also, a number of Aseptic employees at that meeting said they haven't been paid in recent weeks, and Smith said Kali's check bounced when he tried to pay a fine owed to Orem.
Aseptic Services must clear an outstanding fine with Orem for dumping contaminated waste into its sewer system and provide proof that its incineration procedure passes muster with the Department of Environmental Health.
Duval said the company has been running its incinerator and accepting new loads of waste even though it does not have permission to do business yet.
"They're working as a waste transfer station which is not appropriate (in that area) either," he said. Aseptic is housed at 85 S. 1380 West, an area in which the city allows light manufacturing.
According to Kali, the pyrolysis process of incineration disposes of harmful materials safely with no visible emissions.
Planning commissioners denied the application based on concerns about the process, the safety of trucking in contaminated waste, storage procedures and the lack of benefit to Lindon that would outweigh potential hazards.
E-MAIL: haddoc@desnews.com