(WWJ) — An environmental group is sounding the alarm over a new landfill that could be in the works near the border of Washtenaw and Wayne Counties.
The Conservancy Initiative, a group fighting the possibility of a new Green For Life landfill near the existing Arbor Hills Landfill in Salem Township, held a town hall meeting Monday night looking to educate the public about the dangers.
David Drinan with the Conservancy Initiative tells WWJ the group is trying to get out in front of the possible landfill, noting it’s not “an overnight process,” and no decision will be made this week.
“We think it’s our responsibility, and our job is to get the word out to the residents early that this process of asking for a new landfill has started,” Drinan said.
The existing landfill — near Napier Road between Five Mile and Six Mile Roads — has been causing problems for residents in the area since it opened, according to Drinan. That’s why the Conservancy Initiative wants to inform more residents about the concerns as the process for a new landfill begins.
“We’re gonna talk to them about how we feel it’s important that they reach out to their elected officials and educate everyone they can about what the impacts are of this landfill and what they’ve had to live with for the last decade with a landfill on the horizon that has not been complying with the environmental regulations,” Drinan said.
In addition to strong odors that impact residents in Washtenaw, Oakland and Wayne Counties, Drinan says the main concerns over the landfill are PFAS contamination in nearby aquifers and the effect it’s having on drinking water and trout streams.
The Conservancy Initiative says the Arbor Hills Landfill has been the subject of several recent settlements to resolve environmental violations. The group says the GFL-owned landfill has paid more than $1.5 million in fines.
“In spite of the enforcement costs, GFL anticipates large returns from Arbor Hills and is ready to invest in a new landfill on adjacent property,” a statement on the Conservancy Initiative’s website says.
“It’s really a once-in-a-generation decision that this community is gonna make. If Washtenaw County decides to approve a new landfill there, there’s gonna be the next generation, or maybe a couple generations are gonna live with the impacts of a large landfill on their border,” Drinan said. “We’ve got some residential neighborhoods within a couple thousand feet of the existing landfill and the one that’s proposed is even closer to some of the neighborhoods.”
Monday’s meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Assembly Room at Northville Township Hall.