Johnston farmer, recycler, political figure Louis Vinagro Jr. has died

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The often outspoken recycling magnate Louis Vinagro Jr. – known for his former pig farm operations, his past write-in campaign for mayor of Johnston, and his trash and reclamation businesses – passed away on Friday, March 9. He was 66 years old.

A businessman in the community for over 40 years who also had multiple encounters with the law – and who once served a 15-month prison term for failure to report company earnings, along with a stint in jail for assaulting a Department of Environmental Management officer – Vinagro’s outspoken personality was well known in town.

“I used to be in recycling back in the late ’70s and early ’80s and the environmental people, who really weren’t up to speed, they came and arrested me,” said Vinagro to the Sun Rise when he was a recent candidate for the Rhode Island Senate District 25 seat. “Now, they give awards out for what I was doing then, and I find that a problem.”

Vinagro and his brother, Joseph, created Vinagro Brothers Disposal Company, a major trash container service in Rhode Island, in the early 1970s. He later got involved as manager of Vinagro Farms, raising pigs for market.

According to the website of his latest business venture, Agro Energy Solutions, his company now manages waste-to-energy solutions and looks to expand their pig composting facility and other land uses to include solar and wind facilities, as well as aquaculture operations.

“I got my education through recycling and now I’m a developer of world green energy,” Vinagro told the Sun Rise. “My thing is market development, which will promote recycling which will promote less pollution, and everything I’m doing is part of the green movement, for safe, green energy.”

Vinagro’s name was often seen in the Johnston news. He ran a write-in campaign for mayor during the 2000 primary and garnered 2,701 votes, almost defeating Mayor William Macera, who won by only 479 ballots. The following summer, he was arrested for drunk driving after he allegedly sideswiped several cars on Central Avenue.

That arrest may possibly be the reason Vinagro later drove through town in a horse-drawn buggy, which he was often known to do. In 2009, Vinagro’s horse and buggy was involved in two accidents after the horse broke loose from its ties on Atwood Avenue. Vinagro, who was inside the former Atwood Avenue restaurant Ribs and Company at the time, was not in the buggy.

In August 2002, a fire at Vinagro’s business destroyed a warehouse, killing some pigs. He was convicted of tax evasion in 2003 and was given 15 months in prison; he was released in 2004.

During his last run for office in November 2016, as an independent candidate against incumbent Frank Lombardo III for his Senate seat, Vinagro’s campaign slogan was “There is no future in the past.”

According to his obituary, Vinagro, the “Dean of Demo,” “Captain America,” pig farmer, entrepreneur, innovator and environmental maniac of Johnston, passed away on Friday, March 9, 2018 in Fountain Hills, Arizona surrounded by family, in peace, with no regrets.”

“Louis left a substantial legacy. He was conceived on a cow farm, born on a pig farm, raised on trash, and graduated in recycling. He dedicated his life to the promotion and development of recycling and other sustainable systems and technology. He was an innovator in the recycling industry and pioneer in the commoditizing of construction and demolition waste,” reads his obituary. “He essentially invented an industry which still flourishes today. Colorful, hardworking and brilliant, he carved an indelible mark on the world. A man ahead of his time, who had the vision and foresight of a cleaner and brighter future. He is in the ever after, no doubt with a long list of ideas on how to improve Paradise.”

Visitation services will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 16 at Nardolillo Funeral Home & Crematory at 1278 Park Avenue in Cranston. Funeral services will be held at Saint Joseph's Church on Saturday, March 17 at 10 a.m. Burial will follow at Saint Ann's Cemetery, Cranston.

Vinagro’s obituary states that, in lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the National Rifle Association.

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