Less than one week after the state Department of Environmental Conservation took action against Ontario County Landfill local advocates are pointing to Seneca Meadows saying it’s time for official action.
The DEC said it was also keeping a close eye on odor issues at High Acres Landfill, which sits between Perinton and Macedon.
The largest landfill in the region has not been included in any such enforcement measures or messaging from the DEC yet. Now, Seneca Lake Guardian is urging action from newly-elected Governor Kathy Hochul and the DEC.
“Commissioner Seggos says the DEC cares about the impact of landfills on communities – so, what about the state’s largest landfill? Why are we even entertaining letting the 30-story-tall Seneca Meadows grow another seven stories and operate another 15 years? Seneca Meadows not only pumps a putrid odor far and wide through the Finger Lakes – but it’s also threatening the health of New Yorkers across the state by dumping millions of gallons of leachate containing toxic PFAS into drinking water sources,” Seneca Lake Guardian Vice President Yvonne Taylor said. “The DEC can’t keep pretending the side effects of these landfills exist in a vacuum – that’s why Seneca Meadows must close in 2025 as originally planned. We need a real plan to achieve a zero waste future – simply sanctioning landfills one-by-one is a band-aid solution.”
In a press release about High Acres, DEC Commissioner Basil Segos said the agency is “committed to ensuring landfill operations do not negatively impact the surrounding community.”
Advocates say words like those without meaningful action behind them fall short of what New York needs.
Seneca Meadows is permitted to accept 6,000 tons of waste per day and is in the permit application process to fill the middle of its current footprint with municipal solid waste. That would ensure at least another 15 years of operation, despite a local law being contested to force closure of landfills around the start of 2025.
Advocates like Seneca Lake Guardian are calling on the state to come up with a real zero waste plan to address the trash being created.
Josh is the publisher of FingerLakes1.com. Have a question? Send them to [email protected].