Landfilling municipal solid waste has been rejected by most developed countries and has been or is in the process of being replaced by Waste-to-Energy plants for the many reasons that are referenced on this web site and more. Typical of many European countries, less than 1% of Sweden’s solid waste is landfilled, including the ash from their Waste-to-Energy plants.  Sweden, with a population density of less than half that of Lower Windsor Township, is hardly lacking places to site a landfill if it were an acceptable “technology”.  

In the USA in places where Waste-to-Energy plants are not mandated, landfills can divert municipal solid waste, thus lowering the market for new Waste-to-Energy facilities. If one does a Google search on “Landfill Mining,” one discovers that the future of this diverted waste is to be mined at some point to be fed to Waste-to-Energy plants. Hence, the clause in the host agreement that Republic Services expected our Township to execute that provides Republic rights to mine the landfill at some point in the future. In this way, Republic would be paid twice, trashing our air, land and water and preventing solid waste from being responsibly disposed of.

In Pennsylvania, landfills are still allowed to operate if they can get the necessary permits, including zoning permits from the local municipality. Expansions within already permitted areas are difficult to prevent. However, “greenfield projects,” meaning new landfills or lateral expansions onto large previously untouched acreage, have not occurred for at least 25 years in Pennsylvania because few municipalities want the inevitable lifestyle, health, welfare and environmental headaches now and for many future generations, and they can refuse a rezoning.  Katie Sandoe, chief commercial officer with the Lancaster County, PA, Solid Waste Management Authority recently explained why the Frey Farm Landfill on the Susquehanna river used Mechanically Stabilized Earth Berms to expand vertically, “We’re using an existing footprint, so we don’t have to go offsite; we don’t have to site a new greenfield landfill. I believe the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has not sited a new greenfield for a couple of decades.” 1

Landfills are huge money makers for waste management companies, however, so there is great incentive for them to add more capacity wherever and whenever they can.

One such attempt that occurred in 2020 involved the Grand Central Landfill near Pen Argyle in Northampton County, Plainfield Township. This landfill is being managed by Waste Management, Republic’s closest competitor.

Similarities to our Modern Landfill situation include:

  • The proposed new capacity is on the opposite side of a well-traveled road from the current landfill.
  • The new site is currently zoned agricultural and forest and will require the approval of the Board of Supervisors of Plainfield Township to change the zoning designation.

Differences from Modern Landfill’s proposed “expansion” include:

  • Local municipal solid waste goes into Grand Central Landfill, not a Waste-To-Energy plant, so the case can be made that the residents need the extra capacity, unlike in our situation where our trash is incinerated to make electricity.
  • The new site in their case will be nowhere near residential buildings, unlike ours in which 80+ families will live on the edge of the new operation.
  • Waste Management immediately applied for a zoning amendment with a 900 page application. In our case, Republic has been hoping our Township will first execute a Host Agreement that requires Lower Windsor Township to cooperate and supply all of the zoning changes and permits Republic require from them for an expansion and not object to any DEP permits.

This March 2020 article from LehighValleyLive.com describes the circumstances ahead of the presentation of Waste Management’s plan:  [Click to View Document]

Push back from Pen Argyle area residents will sound very familiar to those Lower Windsor Township residents who attended our Board of Supervisors meetings last December, January and February:  [Click to View Document]

So, what happened?

In July 2020 the Plainfield Board of Supervisors met and voted on the rezoning request. This article reports on their decision and their reasoning:  [Click to View Document]

Spoiler alert – Despite Waste Management having a stronger case for rezoning than Republic has in our situation, the Supervisors rejected their request for rezoning. The decision of the Supervisors is not subject to appeal.

This is the same responsible decision the Lower Windsor Township Supervisors made in December 2020, and for the same reasons. Since then, Republic has launched a campaign, complete with “dirty tricks” familiar to Republic, to replace the current Supervisors with their own candidates that will try to vote to overturn the will of the residents as expressed in the Lower Windsor Township Comprehensive plan and codified in the zoning ordinance of 2003.

1  Stormwater Magazine, “Challenges in Slope Repair,” May 24, 2019.