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Matthew and Gary Weisenberg — the owners of S&W Atlas Iron & Metal, one of the city’s oldest metal recycling facilities — each pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of unlawful disposal of hazardous waste and public nuisance.

The corporation pleaded no contest to five felony counts of failing to properly dispose of hazardous waste.

Benjamin Wright, who worked on the case, said outside the courtroom, “We are very pleased with the plea deal. The facility has been operating for so long. There have been so many instances of shrapnel flying onto school property. It’s very dangerous for the students, let alone all the hazardous waste.”

The community suffers from high rates of respiratory issues as a result of decades of redlining, segregation and zoning practices that have concentrated polluting activities in the area, including hazardous waste processing facilities and vehicle emissions from nearby highways, Cannedy said.

If convicted, Kulikoff faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiracy to transport hazardous waste and up to 15 years in prison and a $50,000 fine per day for placing another person in imminent danger.