Capital Contractors Inc. of Natick, which formerly operated a masonry and landscape construction service, was assessed an $11,056 penalty by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) for violating state air pollution control and solid waste management regulations.

In August 2010, MassDEP personnel, working with the Holliston Fire Chief on another matter, responded to the company’s Whitney Street location in Holliston and observed illegal open burning of construction and landscape debris, which caused excessive fugitive emissions to the ambient air.

In a consent order, the company agreed to immediately comply with all applicable regulations, and to pay $1,200 of the assessed penalty, with the remaining $9,856 suspended provided that there are no violations of the order for a one-year period.

"Open burning of construction debris causes air pollution and constitutes illegal disposal of solid waste," said Lee Dillard Adams, acting director for MassDEP’s Central Regional Office in Worcester. "Small businesses must abide by the same regulations as large corporations."