Man admits leaving hazardous waste on roadside

SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake man pleaded guilty this week to leaving drums of hazardous substances on the side of a road in 2006.

Andrew A. Costa, 45, admitted to having left two cargo trailers that carried 67 drums of liquid and dry chemicals on a road in Salt Lake City in 2006, the U.S. Attorney for Utah's Office said Friday.

One of the drums leaked onto the street, and the Environmental Protection Agency spent more than $70,000 to remove the waste.

Costa's plea in U.S. District Court includes a recommended sentence of 21 months in federal prison and restitution for the EPA's cleanup efforts.

He will be sentenced Dec. 16.