Medical waste facility owner charged with falsifying air quality documents

Lansing, MI— Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox announced that he has filed charges against Norman Aardema, the owner of Midwest Waste Services, a Hamtramck-based medical waste incinerator facility, for directing his environmental consultant to create and falsify Air Permit Preventative Maintenance Reports to conceal excessive air emissions.

The Air Permit Preventative Maintenance Reports are required by both the state and federal government to ensure the facility’s compliance with their air permit and to regulate the exposure of particulate matter and carbon dioxide.

Aardema, a resident of South Holland, Illinois, was arraigned April 18 by the Hon. Paul Paruk in the 31st District Court in Hamtramck. The three-count complaint included Uttering and Publishing, Forgery, and Conspiracy charges with a maximum penalty of 14 years. The defendant waived his right to a preliminary exam within 14 days and was released on a $5,000 personal bond.