SALEM TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — Residents in communities near the Wayne and Washtenaw counties border are pushing for a voice in the process that could lead to a major landfill expansion in their backyard.
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GFL is planning to propose expanding the Arbor Hills Landfill in Salem Township onto 90 acres it already owns. Before that can happen, the proposal must make its way through Washtenaw County's materials management planning process.
On Wednesday, neighbors packed the Washtenaw County Materials Management Planning Committee's monthly meeting to speak out against the potential expansion.
Northville Township resident Trisha Kunst said she has looked at the data and is concerned.
"I think all residents living within a mile of the landfill are concerned about the safety for their families," Kunst said.
Thomas Jones, also of Northville Township, raised concerns about the landfill's proximity.
"We already have this facility near a park and near a school, elementary school, so I'm just concerned that we may be getting too much of the pollution, the air, the effect on the environment," Jones said.
Wednesday's meeting was scheduled to include a presentation by GFL to the committee, which will ultimately make a recommendation to commissioners on whether the landfill's expansion should be included in the county's plans for the next 10 years. Attendees were surprised to learn the GFL presenter was not able to attend.
"I was kinda disappointed that the main speaker was not able to attend today," Jones said.
Leslie Evans, a Northville Township resident and leader with nonprofit The Conservancy Initiative, has been organizing for months to keep community members involved and informed throughout the process.
"Our residents come to our town halls, and they come and talk to us all the time if they know we are, and, yes, everyone who lives around the vicinity, around this landfill is just incredulous that they would think about building a second one," Evans said. “To us that’s just unbelievable because the thing is, if they do have a new landfill, it’s going to last like 30 years or more, and all of the environmental effects eventually, when it’s done, they’ll walk away, and we have to deal with all the environmental effects now and later."
Plymouth Township resident Tom Finn echoed the call for community involvement.
"We're all concerned about the landfill," Finn said. "For years I golfed at a golf course right next to it; you can smell it it’s there, and I’m more concerned about the long-term financial liability, and we know that materials fail.”
He worries about it and says he plans to stay informed about the process.
"The decision hasn't been made yet, so I think it's important that everyone has a voice," Finn said.
GFL did not respond to a request for comment. A presenter from the company is expected to attend the September 9 meeting. The committee plans to vote in December on whether the proposal is consistent with the county's material management plan.
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.
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