Township Supervisors Cease Negotiations with Republic Services Regarding a New Landfill

In 2019, most residents of Lower Windsor Township were expecting Modern Landfill to halt operations in a very few years when the current site could take no more trash.  Republic Services, the operator of Modern, had however been quietly negotiating with township officers for their agreement to host a new landfill to cover several farms adjacent to the current permitted location.

When the regular Board of Supervisors meeting for December 12th 2019 included an agenda item to vote on a host agreement for a new landfill (Republic called this an “expansion,”) residents packed the meeting room and unanimously objected to Republic’s proposal.  The supervisors tabled the vote, the opposition from residents persisted and eventually a survey of all township residents was conducted.  After 12 months of careful consideration, with a roll call vote in which each of the three supervisors explained his reasons, the township rejected further discussions with Republic. [Click to Read More]

Making Stuff Up – Republic Service’s Disinformation Campaign

In December 2020, the supervisors of Lower Windsor Township unanimously rejected Republic’s bid for a new landfill because, in their words, they felt they needed to be good stewards of the land and nothing the landfill offered compensated for the additional footprint required.  Unable to respond directly to the supervisor’s logic, Republic Services have retaliated by frightening the residents with untruths combined with plausible deniability (it’s not us saying this. . . ) in a way that would make Vlad Putin proud. 

Questionable Mailings

In June 2021, most residents of Lower Windsor Township received a mailing from “Lower Taxes for Lower Windsor” asserting that the township supervisors were planning to raise taxes, and asked for phone numbers and email addresses and whether the residents were in favor of higher taxes.  The person, group or corporation responsible for the mailing was obscure as they were hiding behind a PO Box number, however the style of photos (e.g., smiling models in uniforms) on the flyer was similar to those in recent emails from Republic. [Click to Read More]

Toxic Wastewater Dumped Into Kreutz Creek

April 2022 update – It’s worse than we thought.

Modern Landfill’s wastewater discharge permit, issued by PA DEP, sets limits on the amount and type of toxic substances that the landfill may dump into Kreutz Creek.  In recent years, Modern has exceeded these limits without warning residents to not drink the water, wade or fish in the creek.  In addition, there are many more substances in the leachate from Modern that are harmful to human health that are not limited through the permitting process.  [Click to Read More]

Groundwater Resources Destroyed

Responsibility for Contaminated Wells Denied by Modern

Modern Landfill first applied for an operating Permit from DER, the forerunner of DEP, in 1971.  During 1976 to 1979, Modern dumped residual waste including hazardous materials into the then 66 acre unlined landfill.  In 1981, DER found the same hazardous materials in the groundwater under the site.  [Click to Read More]

Air Pollution

Relatively low level, but long-term exposure to airborne Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are suspected for numerous of the cancer and serious chronic non-cancer health issues identified in the many epidemiological studies of persons living near landfills.   [Click to Read More]

But the Trash Has to Go Somewhere, Right?

Yes of course, but it doesn’t have to go into this landfill or any landfill for that matter.  In fact, the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) that is generated by residents of Lower Windsor Township all goes to the Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plant North of York. [Click to Read More]

Modern and the Proposed New Landfill

Modern Landfill first applied for a permit to operate in 1971. Today it covers 230 acres and without further investment could allegedly run out of space as soon as 2025.  Its operator, Republic Services, a corporation based in Arizona with a $30 Billion market capitalization, proposes to build capacity (they call it an “expansion”) on the opposite side of a State road but will need Lower Windsor Township to change the zoning of the site to do so.  In exchange, Republic is offering to increase a fee it pays to the township from $0.97/ton dumped to $1.35/ton, provide free trash pickup for the residents, and a few other incentives.

Republic Services is proposing to convert several hundred acres of prime farm land including historic buildings into a new landfill, and accept trash from just about everywhere but York County, where the landfill is located.  

The result will be an eyesore, not a natural and scenic part of our environment, and unusable for anything else for generations to come.  It will also be unnecessary and unwise, as much more environmentally sensible solutions are available for handling solid waste today.  

The new landfill will greatly impact the lives of residents within a mile or two of the site and along the streams it pollutes and the roads on which 5000 tons per day of trash is hauled.  Especially affected will be 83 families currently living on the boundaries of the proposed site.

Residents Speak Out About the Proposed New Landfill

Residents that live close to the landfill are obviously affected more than others.  Here are some of their concerns:

• Aesthetics of an active mountain of trash vs fields, trees, healthy wildlife
• Trucks
  • Damage to roadways, bridges
  • Congested traffic, noise through populated areas
  • Speeding, safety to others on road 
• Fugitive trash from trucks and wind-blown from site
• Disease vectors – rats and other scavengers
• Seagull concentrations dropping waste on nearby properties
• Odor that the landfill cannot control on adjacent properties
• Dust of questionable nature
• Noise from trucks backing up, dozers/compactors
• Contaminated wells and streams
• Property value decrease within at least 2 mi.
• Documented exposure to cancer and other serious illnesses due to proximity to landfill
• Generally degraded lifestyle uncompensated for by landfill operators

New Landfill Inconsistent with PA Constitutional Rights

Article 1. § 27.  Natural resources and the public estate.

The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania’s public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.

The Commonwealth of PA doesn’t make an exception for the case in which a big corporation in Arizona wishes to make a ton of money off of the People’s misfortune.  

It’s often said the purpose of a Constitution is to ensure that a government does not have the power to infringe certain basic Rights belonging to the People. [Click to Read More]

New Landfill Inconsistent with Township’s Promise to Residents

In 2002, Lower Windsor Township completed a major overhaul of their Comprehensive Plan for the future of the community.  A first step in updating the Plan was an assessment of citizen concerns about the community, followed by development of a community vision, goals and objectives to help direct Township policies for land use and public services. To gauge citizen views, a community survey was conducted by the Township.  By a wide margin, the most expressed concern was for the preservation of farmland and natural lands.

A number of goals and objectives were developed, and to control land use a Zoning Ordinance with Zoning Map was adopted on the basis of the resulting policies in 2003.  That legal document has been amended as recently as 2014 to remain relevant. [Click to Read More]