Resolving Issues At Apex Landfill
After years of complaints of nauseating odors emanating from the Apex Sanitary Landfill in Jefferson and Harrison counties, it appears the facility’s owner now is taking its responsibility more seriously.
In July, the Jefferson County Health Board cited the landfill for 10 instances of non-compliance with the rules. But a month later, the facility was declared to be back in compliance.
That did not come easily to the landfill company. During an August meeting, Carla Gampola of the health department reported the company “bought eight dozers, two compactors, three new rock trucks, six tri-axle trucks, repaired one water truck and purchased a second water truck. Several additional steps were taken to remedy problems at the landfill.
Obviously, all that was quite expensive.
But, as health board member Dale Featheringham said during a meeting last month, “We still have odor issues out there.”
Yet the landfill company is seeking permission from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to expand the landfill. A public hearing on the matter is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, at VFW Post 232, at 412 Liberty St., Amsterdam.
A major expansion is being proposed. It would allow the landfill to expand its maximum daily intake of refuse from the current 7,500 tons up to 10,000 tons. It also would increase the expected life of the facility by nearly 18 years.
Landfills are not easy businesses to operate. No one wants one in his or her backyard. Yet some in our area have reputations as good neighbors, running relatively trouble-free disposal sites.
People living near the Apex Landfill have a right to expect that, too. Unless the facility’s owners can provide believable evidence they are on their way to resolving longstanding problems, they should not be permitted to expand the landfill.
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