Highlights:
- Wake County, North Carolina commissioners rejected a request to triple the size of a local private landfill. Commissioners sited a history of poor relations with the operator and a need to protect local residents.
- The previous year, same commission rejected a more ambitious plan to quadruple the plant.
- Commissioners sited landfill owners decision to add 50 acres to the site despite previously pledging to close the facility as a reason the local residents needed protection.
From the article:
Wake County commissioners rejected a request Monday to triple the construction waste dumped at the Shotwell Landfill and to accept refuse from Durham and Orange counties. The move thrilled neighbors worried about traffic, noise and water quality.
By a unanimous vote, commissioners turned down allowing an increase from 91,250 tons to 273,750 tons a year at the private landfill in the county’s southeastern corner. They cited a history of bad relations with Shotwell and a compelling need to protect residents.
“It’s bad news for this area of the county, and for people trying to make a life there,” Commissioner Joe Bryan said. “I don’t feel like they’ve been a good partner.”
Last year, Shotwell saw commissioners reject more ambitious expansion, quadrupling its daily intake and allowing waste from 15 counties. Raleigh attorney Philip Isley described the latest scaled-back plan as a good deal, because the landfill would fill and close more quickly.
