Local residents have defeated ballot questions aimed at allowing Casella Waste Systems to expand the Bethlehem Landfill. Now CLF and Toxics Action Center have announced a lawsuit to hold the landfill operator accountable for water pollution into the Ammonoosuc River.
As we close out a month in which the Massachusetts coast was hit with three nor’easters – and narrowly missed a fourth – Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is still considering whether to allow Wheelabrator to continue dumping huge quantities of ash from its trash incinerator into its adjacent landfill in Saugus. The Agency’s… Continue reading Deadline Looms for Decision on Expansion of Dangerous Landfill in Saugus
“The Bethlehem landfill is dumping dangerous pollutants into the Ammonoosuc River, one of New Hampshire’s treasured and iconic waterways,” said Tom Irwin, Director of Conservation Law Foundation New Hampshire. “Expanding this landfill is not only illegal but a menace to the health and wellbeing of North Country residents living in its shadows. It is time to stop expanding toxic landfills and start protecting communities by reducing waste at its source through recycling and other efforts.”
Waste Management wants to expand its Turnkey landfill in Rochester, New Hampshire. Expanding what is already our region’s largest landfill would put communities and our environment at risk – and undermine efforts to reduce waste in the first place.
… The Massachusetts-based Conservation Law Foundation, in its own statement, praised the ordinance while shifting attention to the noticeable silence on the matter that has come from the Mayor’s Office in recent days. “We are optimistic that Mayor Walsh will follow the lead of 59 other Massachusetts cities and towns,” the statement noted, “and sign… Continue reading Boston City Council Votes Unanimously To Ban Plastic Bags
“More than 350 million single-use plastic bags hit the streets of Boston this year alone, most of which end up filling our landfills, littering our communities, and polluting our air when burned up in incinerators,” said Kirstie Pecci, Director of CLF’s Zero Waste Project. “This new ordinance protects the health of our neighborhoods and our environment, while at the same time easing the burden on taxpayers and saving local retailers millions. We are optimistic that Mayor Walsh will follow the lead of 59 other Massachusetts cities and towns and sign this ordinance into law.”
This may be the most dangerous landfill in Massachusetts, yet MassDEP intends to continue to allow it to expand with no end in sight – but we have a chance to put a stop to it if we speak up now.
Landfills like this one in Saugus, MA, are notorious for releasing lead, mercury, and other cancer-causing chemicals into our air and water – so it’s no surprise that the surrounding communities are feeling the burden of their polluting neighbor.
What if I told you that I wanted to build a facility in your town that would cost taxpayers a lot to construct, but create only a few low-quality jobs? Once operational, it would contaminate the air and groundwater and poison neighbors’ wells for decades. What’s more, this contamination would be largely ignored, and probably… Continue reading Landfills, Incinerators, and Waste Disposal: Not a Necessary Evil, Just Evil
Victory! Casella Waste is abandoning its plans to expand the Southbridge Landfill – and it will close the facility entirely by the end 2018.
