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AEG Event 11/13/25: Solid Waste Diaspora

When
13 Nov 2025
6:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Location
60 Cottontail Lane, Somerset, NJ 08873

Registration

Payment

AEG NY-P CHAPTER UPDATE
& DINNER MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT

The Solid Waste Diaspora in New Jersey

Mark Zdepski, PG, LSRP
Past President, JMZ Geology
Past Chairman, AEG NY-P Chapter

November 13, 2025

At the Clarion Hotel in Somerset, New Jersey

Photo of NJ State Police involvement with an alleged unauthorized import of solid waste to a Site in Alexandria, New Jersey in 2025. Photo obtained from social media for illustrative purposes only.

Time:	Social Hour 6:00 pm – 6:45 pm / Dinner 6:45 pm – 7:45 pm Presentation begins at 8:00 pm
Place:	Clarion Hotel / 60 Cottontail Lane, Somerset, NJ 08873 / (732) 560-9880
RSVP:	End of Business, Tuesday, November 11, 2025. A timely RSVP is appreciated! Please note, more than one individual can be registered at a time. Also, don't forget to add the event to your calendar from our website! Reminder to regular attendees - you do not need to login to register!
Cost:	In-Person Attendance Registration Fees - $40 for AEG members / $50 non-members $5 for students with RSVP / Professors attend as our guests at no charge Remote Attendance Registration Fee - $15.00 No LSRP CEC credits will be offered for remote attendance. Remote Registration cut-off: Tuesday, November 11, 2025 Important: The online payment links will be sent to you after you register. Guests are always welcome! Pay at the door by check, cash, or credit card. Make check payable to AEG. Please RSVP in advance to avoid $5 walk-in fee, effective February 2025.
CECs:	One Professional Development Hour (PDH) will be awarded for attending the presentation. SRPLB Approval for One Hour of LSRP Technical continuing education credit (CEC) will be requested.

ABSTRACT
This presentation will examine the recent surge of illegal solid waste dumping in rural New Jersey, focusing on the mechanisms and consequences of unsanctioned fill disposal near residential and agricultural sites. Drawing on documented cases from Essex, Hunterdon, Somerset, Gloucester, Warren and Sussex Counties, the presentation will explore the role of social media in facilitating these activities and examine the disjointed interfaces in state and local enforcement.

The discussion will highlight regulatory challenges, the impact of the “Dirty Dirt” law, and the difficulty facing agencies tasked with oversight. NJ LSRPs and all site remediation practitioners will gain insights into new patterns of waste migration and enforcement bottlenecks and hear how environmental risks are mitigated after improper waste management.

Illustration (right): Map of recently confirmed illegal dumping sites in New Jersey, provided by the US Department of Justice.

BIOGRAPHY

Mark Zdepski is a New Jersey native who earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Alaska. He worked as an engineering geologist during the Trans-Alaska Pipeline’s pre-construction phase, at a platinum mine in Montana, and in gold and silver exploration in Nevada. He considers himself a mining industry refugee and says his experience taught him to "Plot your facts with engineering accuracy in three dimensions and see what they tell you!”

In 1985, he moved to New Jersey to work on contaminated industrial real estate for The Earth Technology Co. In 1987, he started JMZ Geology, consulting on environmental issues at large smelter sites in New Jersey, Indiana, and Illinois. After closing his practice in 2017, Mark continues to consult on contaminated sites while pursuing various interests including ore deposits, stone quarries, archaeology, and historical preservation.

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AEG Event 11/13/25: Solid Waste Diaspora

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