The expansion approval process for landfill operators continues to prove tricky. That’s especially true in the Northeast, where about a quarter of municipal solid waste generated is going to landfills that could close in less than five years, according to an industry report. Below is a selection of landfill news from the last month.
WM’s plans for Pennsylvania landfill expansion fall through
WM is recalibrating its plans for a previously planned expansion in Plainfield Township, Pennsylvania, after its board of supervisors passed two ordinances that limited the company's options.
The company had previously proposed an eastern expansion of the Grand Central Landfill onto a neighboring farm property. State records show the landfill takes in about 2,750 tons of waste per day and is permitted to accept up to 3,000 tons per day.
The company had been pursuing this expansion for more than five years, as the landfill has just a few years of remaining capacity. Had it gone forward, the expansion would have added 133 acres of solid waste-permitted space, changed the grade of slopes on site and given the landfill 20 years of additional useful life.
But the owners of the property WM planned to acquire for an expansion changed their mind, according to local reports. That led Plainfield Township to reverse both its rezoning of the property and an ordinance granting a steep slope exemption for the site.
A WM spokesperson confirmed that it no longer had an interest in the property it planned to use for the expansion, and that the company would continue to evaluate its options for expansion.
Pennsylvania is still home to numerous other landfills, including several operated by WM. That includes the Fairless Landfill, which has the highest daily tonnage in the state.
Maine limits Casella subsidiary’s role in Juniper Ridge Landfill expansion application process
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has denied a request for a Casella subsidiary to be named as a co-applicant on a proposal to expand the Juniper Ridge Landfill, leaving the State of Maine’s Bureau of General Services as the sole applicant and licensee.
The Juniper Ridge landfill, owned by the state but operated by a Casella subsidiary known as NEWSME Landfill Operations, is in the midst of a longtime legal fight over expansion plans. BGS and Casella proposed to expand the landfill by 61 acres, which would add about 11 years of life to the facility. Without an expansion, Casella predicts the landfill could be full by 2028.
The City of Old Town, Maine, was granted automatic intervenor status on the proposal last year, per a previous procedural order. Through its July 27 order, DEP also granted intervener status to the Penobscot Nation, as well as Maine Rivers and Penobscot Bay Waterkeeper, two environmental groups that oppose the expansion.
The July 27 order gives more clarity over which groups can directly participate in the application process, allowing those groups to present evidence or witnesses during hearings to support or oppose the expansion application, among other actions. The groups met for a pre-hearing conference on the application on Aug. 14.
But the Penobscot Nation and Conservation Law Foundation aim to block the expansion plans in a separate lawsuit, saying an expansion would harm the Nation due to alleged chemical releases into the Penobscot River. Penobscot Bay Waterkeeper and Maine Rivers have said leachate from the landfill has impacted the Penobscot Bay and its fishing activities.
Attorneys for DEP and Casella have said several design plans, including a double liner and PFAS leachate treatment efforts, would prevent future pollution, local station WABI 5 reported.
NEWSME has argued that not being named a co-applicant for the expansion application could “deny or impair NEWSME’s right to participate fully as a party.” Yet DEP’s July 27 decision notes that the operator is still considered an agent or consultant in the process and can still participate in certain pre-hearing conferences and public hearings “up to and including the extent to which BGS authorizes.”
DEP said BGS and NEWSME would need to work out any future “legal rights, duties or privileges” related to the expansion process in an operating services agreement.
DEP determined in March that an expansion of the Juniper Ridge Landfill serves a public benefit, a decision seen as a key step to overcoming opposition to the plan.
The application process, and the related legal battle, are both ongoing.
Other landfill news
- The U.S. EPA has proposed to remove the Diamond Shamrock Corp. Landfill in Cedartown, Georgia, from the National Priorities List in the Superfund program and partially remove the Tippecanoe Sanitary Landfill in Lafayette, Indiana. The decision reflects the completion of work needed to remediate the sites. (U.S. EPA)
- Waste Connections is behind schedule on plans to close the Clover Flat Landfill in Calistoga, California. The company said at a town meeting it needed to update a technical document for CalRecycle, which prevented it from submitting a closure plan to regulators in 2025 as it originally planned. (Napa Valley Register)
- A Pennsylvania district court ordered Republic Services to pay a $9.2 million penalty for violating the Clean Water Act at its Modern Landfill. Through a citizen suit, the operator was found to have violated its permits by not properly treating leachate before discharging it into the nearby Kreutz Creek. (Fox 43)
- Local leaders continue to debate a path forward for an expansion of the Cedar Rapids Linn County Solid Waste Agency landfill. Town leaders in Marion and Cedar Rapids disagree over whether to allow the landfill to fill all available space or enough to keep it open until 2044, with governance changes and host fee increases part of negotiations. (KCRG)
- The Heart of Florida Landfill has offered to update its operational plan after state regulators notified the operator of several violations during a recent inspection. The landfill, which is operated by Waste Connections, is seeking permission to construct a deep injection well to dispose of leachate on site. (Villages-News)
- The City of Amarillo, Texas, is shortening its landfill hours to simplify operations and allow employees more time to apply daily cover. The decision comes after permit violations and a fire that spread past the landfill’s fenceline and destroyed nearby homes. (ABC 7 News)
