STERLING ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES

Quote process was quick and efficient, work crew arrived on specified date and time, worked diligently and were courteous and open to questions and requests. The most time-consuming step seemed to be waiting for the township inspector to appear (he was several hours later than scheduled).

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They did a fantastic job! They worked very hard, and were very quiet while working as well. They were upfront about everything including costs right from the start of the job, and explained everything in detail to myself and my wife. They were really professional.

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The man who came to the house first seemed knowledgeable and was pretty detailed about what the process entailed.  It wasn't too long after we chose them that they did the work.  They took care of getting  the permits. It was done in one day, and since our tank had holes in it, they took samples and sent them out.  They also put the claim in with the DEP.  They took the tank, but left us the piece that had the holes in it.  They were major ruts in our front yard due to the equipment they brought in.
We were going to continue working with them for the soil remediation, but communications stopped, so we called other companies for estimates.  When were were told by these companies that Sterling should have given us pictures of the tank, and copies of the permits, we called Sterling, and they emailed them to my husband.  So, as tank removal professionals, they were fine, but for soil remediation, we're going with a different company due to their lack of communication.

Great.  On time, professional, efficient, nice.  Crew of 3 - explained everything, showed me what they were doing, how and shared observations about sludge, condition of old tank.  Waited on site for Boro Inspector and walked him and I through the job.  Everything passed with compliment about pipeline install from inspector.  Clean, courteous - great job.   Tested set up and walked me through again to ensure I was comfortable with how newly renovated oil heat system was working.   Can't say enough good things.

Sterling were excellent in talking us through what we needed to do in order to get the permit from the town as quickly as possible.
As we were in attorney review to sell the house we needed the tank removed as quickly as possible.
The space that they worked in was not big enough to stand upright, but instead the two men were bent over dismantling
the tank under the enclosed porch.
They then put all the parts into the garage until the town could come and inspect the removal. Once the town gave the ok, Sterling promptly returned and removed the tank parts.
 Linda was very helpful with any questions that I had. I liked the fact that I didn't get an answering machine , but instead spoke directly with her and she seemed to know exactly who I was.
I was also given $100 off the price for my coupon from Angie's list so the total came to be $650.

After reading an article in the newspaper about underground storage tanks,   We made an appointment with Donald at  Sterling to find out IF we had an oil tank on our property.  We have never used oil, nor were we aware that the previous owners had ever used oil. Donald sat at our kitchen table and was very personable and knowledgeable about his business. He explained the process of the oil tank removal.  A discovery was made that indeed there was a buried oil tank which had to be removed. On  June  18, 2012, the 275 gallon tank was removed.  In preparation for this removal,  the gas and water lines were located and marked by our town. Representatives from the water and gas companies were also present during the dig, which took place beneath our bedroom window.  . Shrubbery  was removed and the use of heavy backhoe equipment was used . The tank was removed and examined.  There were several holes in the tank from corrosion and a powerful oil smell. Over 200 gallons of water and oily sludge was pumped out of the tank and hauled away.  Soil  samples were taken and put into glass jars.   The old  tank was put on the side of our home in the front yard and left there  for over a year.  Also present for the dig was the housing inspector, who gave us a FAILED inspection of our property.  I intiated  a claim with State Farm homeowner's insurance .This claim required many questions to be asked and answered and lots of paperwork  and phone calls from both State Farm and Sterling.   . Sterling had to prove that there was 3rd party contamination prior to 2005 for our insurance to cover any costs.  In July, we sent certified  and notorized copies for grant requests.   On July 20th,  State Farm DENIED our claim....., however if we can prove, by age analysis of the soil and water that this leak occurred before 2005, we could  reopen the claim. Two weeks went by without anyone from Sterling  returning our calls .   In August, 2012, , Sterling sent us proposals to have the soil and water samples performed.   PSE and the water company returned again to paint lines in green and yellow from the street  to our home.   On August 27th, at 9am,  the DEA arrived , unannounced.  We were not called in advance and were not prepared for this visit.  We were not dressed yet and had 2 cars in the driveway that needed to be moved.  The workers needed access into our home to  our basement.   Heavy equipment was used again for taking the samples, and the results came back a few days later with third party contamination. Several months went by with nobody at Sterling returning any of our phone calls or emails. Five months later, on January 7, 2013, we called State Farm insurance  and were informed that Sterling never informed them of the testing results from last August!  We decided to make a surprise visit and drive to the Sterling office in Dover, NJ and personally speak to Donald. We got his full attention.  Apparently all of our paperwork was neglected and put on the bottom of a huge pile  , for which he apologized.  One week later,  State Farm decided to cover our claim, now that all the paperwork was sent. No activity  or progress until Nov 9, 2013, when some men came to our home at 9am, unannounced to dig holes through our basement! Again no courtesy call ahead of time to be prepared to move cars,or get dressed.  A PORT A JOHN was deliverd and placed on our front lawn, next to the sidewalk.   Nov 18-22 was the beginning of the remediation.  We had to reserve a hotel room for 3 nights because our gas, water and electricity had to be cut and disconnected. Our huge crabapple tree was removed. Our  paver walkway to the front door was removed.   The weight of the  huge backhoe ripped up our entire front lawn.  Our house was totally supported by steel rods and frames to prevent it from caving in.  We were told that there may be some destruction to our property caused by the machinery...however, when they were finished,  we had no shrubs,  a cracked and  broken up driveway, and a hilly, un grassed lawn filled with clay, boulders and rocks. There was No walkway to the front door. My husband had to dig a trench through the dirt just so we could get into the front door. Our front yard was a disaster after the remediation. The port a john stayed on our lawn way past the remediation, and I had to call the company to have it removed..  In April, 2014, FIVE months later  the remediation, Sterling  asked if we wanted them to do the restoration of our lawn!!    After looking at our lawn for 5 months in such a terrible state, we used an independent landscaper so the work would finally get done. The entire process with Sterling took nearly 2 years. I am grateful that the paperwork was completed so that we now have a "no further action needed" certificate from the state of NJ., and can sell our home some day. Our insurance dropped us after this claim,  but they were responsible for, and paid every bill for the tests, removal , remediation and restoration of property.  However, we paid dearly for this emotionally and stress wise for almost 2 years !! I feel that Sterling knows the business and does the job and necessary paperwork.  However,  they need to be responsible  in returning  their customers phone calls, getting paperwork done on time   and giving advance calls as to when workers will be arriving.  Perhaps they are taking on more work than they can handle.

We contracted Sterling Environmental primarily because of the three service providers that we contacted, they were the only ones who determined that we may have had a 1000 gal in-ground oil tank, i/o the 550 gal tank we were led to believe that we had.  They quoted us two prices & when they showed up & it turned out that we did have a 1000 gal tank, they removed the extra oil at no additional charge.  Would recommend to others.

We found that we had a 1,000-gallon tank rather than the expected 550-gallon one, and there was a 30-foot magnolia tree growing on top of it.  After taking down the tree by another contractor and re-scheduling the tank removal, all went smoothly.  Sterling made all necessary arrangements with the local inspectors and made a difficult project go well.

Before proceeding with Sterling, I got three estimates for a 550 gallon oil tank to be removed at our rental property in Secaucus. One company, that had the lowest estimate, gave it to me over the phone, but made no plans to actually look at the property.  This did not exactly inspire confidence. Another company which had the highest estimate said they would drive by the property to take a look, but I would not have to be present. Again I was not too pleased with that.
Only Sterling actually sent someone out to meet me at the property.  His name was Gino and he gave me a detailed description of how the tank would be removed. He answered all my questions on the spot and handed me a copy of their quote and a signed copy of the contract in the event I went with Sterling. He also gave me his cell phone number which I later used to call him with more questions. I had a lot of anxiety about this job from hearing about problems others have had with oil tank removal. Gino was very patient and explained everything to me. I also looked up Sterling on both Angie?s List and the Better Business Bureau and saw that they were highly rated. 
I called Gino back to tell him I was going with Sterling and he put me in touch with Linda, the office manager, who was also very
pleasant and professional.  I made a 50% deposit over the phone with Linda, signed and scanned the contract and emailed
it to her. Linda sent a copy of the credit card receipt to me promptly and told me she would contact me to schedule the job once town permits were received. 
The job was scheduled for October 17, 2013 at 8 am. Parking on the street in Secaucus can be a problem, but Sterling arranged with the town to have ?Emergency No Parking? signs posted on the street the night before so there was ample room for their equipment. I arrived at the property at 8 am and 3 guys (Mike, Max and Carlos) from Sterling arrived with 2 trucks and their equipment shortly later. They went to work right away and completed the job a few hours later. A town inspector came by to inspect the tank and the soil before the hole was filled and I was fortunate that there was no contamination and the tank had no holes. These guys worked very hard, were very professional and I was very happy with their work. They cleaned the driveway and
street with brooms and a blower and removed the ?No Parking? signs. They never let up until the job was done. I gave them a check for the balance due and they were on their way. The job was completed without a hitch. 
A couple of days later I received a package from Don, the president: a letter recapping the work performed, an invoice showing ?Paid?, a copy of the waste disposal receipt and a copy of the town approval sticker. The town sent me a certificate of approval a couple of days after that. All this paperwork is very important as we may sell this house in the future and many prospective
buyers want proof of satisfactory oil tank removal. I was very pleased to have received it all so quickly. 
I highly recommend Sterling Environmental Services. It was a pleasure to work with them. Well done.

When they first arrived I asked about a permit. John didn't have a permit in hand, but when he called the office Linda was able to email a copy over to me so that I could see that a permit had been obtained.
They were removing the tank from under the sunporch, through a small trap door. It's only about 3.5 feet high in there and one must crouch the whole time. And there is old insulation falling down all over the place; a very tough environment.
John and Eric worked fast, or at least it seemed fast to me. The whole tank was out, inspected and in the truck in about 2.5 hours. They removed 30-40 gallons of sludge, cleaned up the fill pipes and removed the line that passed through into the basement. They also sealed the hole where the line to the basement had been.
John said that the town inspector gave then a sticker showing a successful completion, and that they need that sticker in order to properly dispose of the tank and the sludge. That and some other paperwork will be mailed to me in about 5 days.

Few things in life are as scary as an oil tank removal, horror stories abound. Once you realize that you are completely at the mercy of the contractor/soil tester and city inspector it really becomes frightening. I grew up in NJ and the oil tank removal mandated by the state had contractor scam written all over it.





I am glad to say that Don and Linda my contacts at Sterling were wonderful. Service was provided quickly and efficiently with Don keeping me abreast of what was going on. Simply put, Sterling said what was going to happen, when and what the potential outcomes would be. I can deal with that.



I handled the entire process by phone from Georgia without incident. I also told Don & Linda that my 94 year old mother was in the house and they were entirely sensitive to that fact....another great relief.



In conclusion, maybe I got lucky with Sterling, but I feel that if you want a honest contractor that has good crew call Don at Sterling for a fair shake.







Note; Many thanks to Joe who processed the claim with the state/city  and made sure I received my " No Further Action Required', the Holy Grail of the oil tank removal process.

Gino came to give me the estimate in person with a detailed breakdown of 3 possible scenarios and how each would affect pricing. He answered all my questions and concerns and assured me that 99% of the time all the work is done same day. I will shortly be putting my house on the market so I wanted this taken care of quickly. I expected it to take at least 2 weeks to secure the needed permits but they had the permit and appointment set up within a week. The tank was removed and thankfully there was no contamination outside the tank. They removed 75 gallons of oily water and a small amount of contaminated soil from inside the tank. They showed up right on time, had an appointment with the town inspector at 11 am with the good news that there were no holes in the tank. They were as good as their word and the land was back filled within a few hours. I had all the closure paperwork within the next week. I would gladly recommend them to anyone.

When my husband and I sold our home in Chatham we had a very unpleasant suprise.  An oil tank had been buried in our yard and, apparently, leaking since 1990.  
I contacted several suppliers who could take out the tank, etc., and selected Sterling Environmental.  Don, the owner, is a very nice person.  He arrived when he said he would, gave a reasonable estimate, which he stuck to, and completed the work rapidly and efficiently.  Because we were in jeopardy of losing our House Buyer he prepared the state DEP report  extra rapidly and gave me the excellent advice to hand deliver the report to Trenton with a box of cookies.  I had my clearance within 48 hours of delivery.
The final bit of business involves sending in a request for financial relief from the state.  Hopefully that will progress as nicely as the rest of the procedure.
If you decide to go with Don and his company, be sure to get his cell phone number and use his direct email.   Messages left in the office have a way of not being answered.  Aside from that minor frustration, he was about the best I could hope for, in a really unpleasant circumstance.  Over all, excellent.

fine

I needed oil tank removal and Sterling gave a written, fairly reasonable price quote for the oil tank removal.  Sterling was quick in securing the necessary mark-outs and town permits for the excavation.  No complaints on this.  The crew came as scheduled.  It was discovered that it was a septic tank instead of an oil tank.  The crew changed from

The owner came to give me an estimate. He quoted the lowest price I had received and answered all my many questions.  One company had tried to tell me that the tank would have to be filled with pebbles after it was excavated and several others told me that I could repave my driveway immediately which I learned was not a good idea. He explained the process stating that they had to get the needed permits from the town first before the excavation could be scheduled. He didn't pressure me at all. It took a couple of weeks for them to get the permits and they made sure the town inspector could come on the day of the excavation to see that the removed tank was intact so they could take it away with them. The excavation was done well, quickly and the hole was filled in. The owner suggested that I wait for a year or most of one to let the ground freeze,thaw and warm up before repaving the area which I will do.

I was extremely happy with Sterling Environmental. They responded to my email inquiry very quickly on their website and quoted me a price for the job over the phone that day, which they promised to adhere to even if the job was bigger than estimated. I had them remove a very old oil tank that had been taking up space in our basement and was about half full of oil. Within two weeks (and amid our town being without power during Hurricane Sandy for part of that) they handled all the permits with the town and came out to remove the tank.
Everyone I dealt with, from Donald on the phone, Linda in the office, to the crew that came out to do the job was extremely professional. The arrived on time and within a little over two hours they had pumped out the tank, cleaned it and removed it, leaving no mess whatsoever.  They coordinated with the town inspector to come sign off on the job while they were here and returned later in the afternoon to remove the barrels of oil and sludge they drained out of the tank. In looking at my driveway, there are more oil stains under my wife's car than there are anywhere that the crew from Sterling performed their work.
While I hope to never have to have a house with an oil tank ever again, should the need arise to remove it I will only consider Sterling Environmental for the job.

Do get your oil tank removed professionally way before you plan on moving!
Do not try to remove the tank  yourself or fill the tank in with sand.
Do educate yourself with Sterling's newsletter and internet information.

They came to give an estimate when they said they would.  The owner spent a good deal of time explaining what would happen and when it would happen.  He also was honest about what might have to happen if there was a leak.Then they sent a contract and after I signed it they got the necessary permits.We set a date for the removal and the re-install.  They were there on time, did everything they said they would and cleaned up after they were done.They were very professional throughout the entire process.  Their office staff is very helpful and professional too.

Unlike most other contractors contacted for this project the principle, Don, did a detailed site survey and spent time discussing the scope of work as well as any possible follow up that would be necessary should a leak be detected upon tank removal.This was important as the removal was only the first possible step in a significant project should leakage be detected.
The three man crew arrived as scheduled. They drained the tank of any remaininjg oil, excavated to the top and cut it open. They completely cleaned the interior of all residue and removed the secondary fill pipe and supply lines to the house. All lines inside the home were removed with care taken to avoid any leaks. All points where lines were removed from a wall were patched as required.
The ground outside was covered for dirt excavation, wood was used to protect the lawn from the backhoe, and care was taken to minimize disruption of the landscaping.

The hole left from removing the tank was filled in with clean dirt and compacted to just above grade.
The job took 4-5 hours. There were no leaks found so the job was over.
The required paperwork package arrived shortly afterwards and included all relevant documants attesting to the successful tank removal.

The price listed includes all the fees for the soil testing, removal of the old tank, installation of the new oil tank, permitting fees and $500 for the insurance guy to stand around and watch the process. They did a terrible job, ruined my driveway with the backhoe putting the dirt back in, destroyed my lawn completely and left way too much top soil piled up. I will now have to pay to have all these other things repaired as well. There are people going bankrupt because of this and I have been writing letters to government officials regarding the new regulation that was passed 8 years ago requiring this type of thing to go on. We weren't even allowed to choose our own excavator to do the work correctly.