GFL Environmental presented a detailed plan to expand the Arbor Hills Landfill by 91 acres to Washtenaw County's Materials Management Planning Committee on Wednesday, drawing concerns from nearby residents who say the existing facility already impacts their quality of life.
The proposed expansion would add 91 acres to the north of the current site. GFL Area Landfill Director Tami Craig walked committee members through the proposal, which she said fits within the county's site requirements.
Craig emphasized measures intended to reduce environmental impact and highlighted a need for increased capacity.
"This shows the setbacks. We're well outside of required setbacks for floodplains," Craig said while going through the presentation.
Craig also addressed the broader need for landfill capacity in light of emerging environmental challenges.
"We have PFAS, we have microplastics, who knows what's next. How do you manage and dispose of that without landfills? Although I'd love to say we see it going down. I think right at this time it's unrealistic to think that current capacity shouldn't be maintained to enable environmental cleanup and remediation," Craig said.
Despite those assurances, residents of Northville Township's Steeplechase community, the closest neighborhood, located about 2,100 feet to the east of the site, were not convinced.
Maryam Moid said the current landfill already affects daily life.
"The smell is abhorrent, it's awful, it's putrid. We go outside, we get headaches, we don't let our children play outside in the stench. So if they cannot manage a landfill at this size how are they going to manage when they're proposing another 91 acres I believe," Moid said.
Dozens of community members attended the meeting hoping to have their voices heard.
Karen Kilar, who also lives near the landfill, expressed skepticism about GFL's presentation.
"The presentation, the words, the slides all look well and good, but it's difficult to trust and believe what is being told to us by GFL," Kilar said.
The proposal now rests with the Washtenaw County Materials Management Planning Committee, which must act before the application can be officially submitted.
Committee member and Vice President of nonprofit The Conservancy Initiative David Drinan explained the process.
"EGLE cannot consider a permit application or a new landfill until the county's management materials planning committee sites that basically there's a need for that landfill," Drinan said.
The committee planed to vote in December on whether the proposal is consistent with the county's material management plan. Drinan now expects that to happen next year as they continue moving through their review.
Washtenaw County Commissioners will vote on the materials management plan once it's complete. Then it will need to be approved by 2/3 of the municipalities in the county. Then the landfill can make a formal application to EGLE to expand.
Drinan said he still has concerns about the long-term implications of the expansion.
"I do think it's important that we do look to the future. Even though it maybe a good fifty years away because of the capacity that they're planning on building will be open for fifty years with the truck traffic with the birds, all the annoyances of the landfill we have now will be around for at least another fifty years," Drinan said.
Key details from GFL's presentation include:
- The proposed expansion covers 91 acres to the north of the current site
- GFL currently owns over 900 acres; the current active footprint is 242 acres
- A 1,000-foot setback from Napier Road is included in the plan
- A 300-foot distance from a local stream is proposed
- The expansion would use a double composite liner system
- To mitigate odors, GFL plans to install a horizontal gas collection system above the drainage layer of all new cells, a method the company says has been effective at previous Michigan sites
- Existing wetlands are on the site; GFL has permits pending to mitigate wetlands
- GFL plans to purchase nearby farmland to create a 200-acre wetland preserve open to the public, with a parking lot and pavilion
- A natural gas pipeline intersecting the site would need to be relocated in coordination with DTE
- Due to soil conditions that do not promote infiltration, GFL is requesting reconsideration of certain stormwater management siting criteria regarding sedimentation basins
- A line-of-sight study suggests a full buildout reaching about 200 feet in height would be largely obscured by trees or barely visible from second-story elevations in nearby subdivisions like Steeplechase
- GFL is arguing the proposal should be considered an expansion rather than a new disposal area or facility
GFL did not respond to a request for comment. Craig said the company plans to launch a live informational website Thursday to address community questions and concerns.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
