Residents continue to oppose proposed landfill expansion in Northampton County, as critical date nears

PLAINFIELD TWP., Pa. — A critical vote is nearing on a proposed landfill expansion in Plainfield Township, Northampton County.

But, even after years of lengthy- and heated- meetings and discussions on the topic, the question of whether Waste Management (WM) should get the go-ahead to expand its Grand Central landfill on Pen Argyl Road is anything but settled.

That much was evident during a meeting of the Comprehensive Planning Committee of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission (LVPC).

Among its agenda items on Tuesday was a review of the proposed zoning ordinance and zoning map amendments WM is seeking to rezone 211 acres of woods and farmland to the east of Pen Argyl Road to expand the current waste district zone. 81 of those acres would be used for trash disposal.

Several Plainfield Township residents joined the meeting, which was held virtually, to express their displeasure with the proposal.

WM first introduced the expansion plans in 2020. Those plans were denied later that same year. The company reintroduced the plans last year.

Plainfield Township’s Planning Commission recommended against the rezoning in April, but the final decision rests with the township’s Board of Supervisors. The board has scheduled a public hearing and vote for Wednesday, August 27. The meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m. The location has not yet been determined, although previously the township has shifted meetings with expected large turnouts to the fire hall at 6480 Sullivan Trail.

In its draft review presented Tuesday, the LVPC noted that different aspects of the proposal both align and conflict with “FutureLV,” the comprehensive plan the agency uses as a road map to guide future development in the Lehigh Valley. “On one hand, the proposal supports regional goals related to solid waste management, municipal fiscal sustainability, and maintaining essential infrastructure and services. On the other hand, it raises concerns related to land conservation, farmland preservation, and the protection of natural resources and community health,” planners wrote in their review.

Specifically, the LVPC advises the township against changing the designation of sanitary landfill land uses from a conditional use to a use permitted by right. “Landfills and Waste Disposal Facilities are high intensity land uses with impacts that must be carefully considered and mitigated when proposed,” the review reads. “The review process for conditional uses provides the Township with assurance that safeguards are in place to pose minimal adverse impacts on the public health, safety and welfare.”

When it came to evaluating the actual rezoning request for the 18 parcels across the street from the current landfill, the LVPC was a bit more ambivalent.

If there was a pro and con list for greenlighting the expansion, on the pro list would be: the proximity of the parcels in question to the existing landfill. Expanding the Solid Waste Processing and Disposal (SW) Zoning District to the other side of Pen Argyl Road isn’t much of a stretch, the LVPC said, pointing out that “solid waste uses are already present in the immediate vicinity.”

Also, expanding landfill operations aligns with “FutureLV” objectives of “providing environmentally responsible and economical solid, electronic, and hazardous waste disposal and recycling” and “promoting the fiscal health and sustainability of Municipalities,” the review said.

The township also needs to consider potential lost revenue should the landfill reach capacity, which WM has said will happen in about four years.

On the con list for saying yes to the expansion: the loss of more open space, more truck traffic, and potential impacts to the environment as well as community health and quality of life.

“The decision to move forward ultimately depends on what Plainfield Township determines to be most important for its community today and in the future,” planners concluded.

The Plainfield Township residents who listened to the LVPC’s review and spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting were unanimous in their opposition to the expansion.

Wayne Muller, who moved to Plainfield Township in 1980, said he felt the potential health impacts of the landfill have not been investigated.

Another resident, J.R. Renna, said the stench from the landfill is already overpowering at times. He’s a coach (but not a spokesperson) for the nearby Green and White Youth Association, which provides sports programs for kids. “This smells all the way up to the high school stadium up the hill,” he said. “We do need a place to put our trash, but it’s got to be further away from where kids play sports and go to school, and families grow.”

Former Plainfield Township Supervisor Jane Mellert said the township is being turned into a “sacrifice zone” for everyone else’s garbage. “Everything being done is based on money,” she said. “The residents and what they have said, it doesn’t seem like it matters as much as it should. It’s just continued to be pushed forward.”

No one from Plainfield Township’s Board of Supervisors attended the meeting to offer comments on the plan.

A spokesperson for Waste Management said the landfill “continues to operate in full compliance with all statutes, laws, rules, regulations and permit requirements, and we deny that the existing landfill or the proposed expansion of the landfill would be detrimental to the health or quality of life of the landfill’s neighbors.”

Expansion plans also would have to be approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

The Comprehensive Planning Committee agreed to make several amendments to the draft review pertaining to quality-of-life concerns raised at the meeting.

The revised review will be presented to the full LVPC at its regular meeting on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in-person at the LVPC Conference Center at 615 Waterfront Drive, Suite 201, in Allentown, although participants can also join virtually.