Warehouse in Yuma will be cleaned of almost four million pounds of electronic waste
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is leading a cleanup effort at a warehouse in Yuma.
The warehouse, located on East 24th Street, has housed 3.92 million pounds of waste created by a glass recycling company from 2012 to 2013, known as Down Management LLC, or Atlan Recycling Corporation, and abandoned TV screens with big vacuum tubes called cathode ray tubes (CRT).
The glass and parts from these devices hold several hazardous materials, mainly lead.
The EPA and the Yuma Community Food Bank want the community to know that the food at the bank has been held completely separate from the waste.
The bank was made aware of the waste in August of 2025 and reached out to the United States Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), looking for resources to get rid of the materials.
In the back corner of the warehouse, entirely separate from the food bank, a glass recycling company kept these devices, which are described as box projection monitors.
Since the discovery of the materials, the food bank has been trying to raise awareness of the issue and have it resolved.
The EPA says that the waste has some heavy metals in it, and that they can't handle it like normal waste, that they have to be careful with it. They estimate the cleaning process will take about two months. After this cleaning process, the bank will be able to expand to allow for more storage space.
"Just know that when we show up, it means that you're safe. You know, you're in good hands. We have a great crew, very experienced." said Celeste McCoy, Federal On-Scene Coordinator, EPA.
Operations at the food bank will continue regularly, and the food will remain clean and safe, especially during the cleanup process.
The process begins with sealing the room with a layer of large plastic sheets with a vacuum seal, installing air monitoring and sampling devices inside and outside the work area, and removing waste in covered boxes from the back entrance.
From there, they will clean all surfaces from floor to ceiling, and will replace the insulation in the room as well.
