(WXYZ) — The people wanting to stop Wayne Disposal's expansion protested outside before Thursday evening's EGLE meeting.
The meeting was just a public comment session, so no decisions were made on the proposed expansion. But despite resident concern, EGLE may have to approve the expansion request.
"We have rules that we’re going through and we're making sure that the application and their current operation, maintenance and inspection schedules are all compliant with those rules," said Christine Matlock, hazardous waste permit engineer with EGLE.
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“It's a big landfill, we understand there’s a lot of concerns," she added.
Residents and members of Michigan Against Atomic Waste are so concerned that they filled the Wayne County Community College, telling officials why they want to stop the proposed expansion.
Wayne Disposal owns the hazardous waste landfill and filed a permit to change the design. They want to add a storage area and expand vertically by 75 feet, with its peak hitting over 200 feet. If the request meets legal requirements, EGLE legally has to approve it. The waste will be manufacturing byproduct, mostly from out of state. It’s low activity radioactive waste. It’s waste the facility is equipped to handle. Wayne Disposal showed us how they monitor the air and water at the facility.
Residents are concerned the hazardous material will impact the surrounding environments and the people living in the area.
“My biggest concern is the location, this is not the location," said Jeneen Rippey, president of Michigan Against Atomic Waste.
"This is a population center around here and it seems crazy to put a landfill smack in the middle of one of the more dense areas of the state," said Winston Koo, who lives near the landfill.
Sylwia Scott is an area environmental compliance manager with Republic Services
"Leak detention, groundwater monitoring, radon monitoring, perimeter air monitoring, all of it is showing there’s no exposure," she said.
"This landfill is not leaking, people can rest assured of that," said Bill Carr, general manager of Wayne Disposal.
If you couldn’t make it to the meeting here last night, you can still weigh in. EGLE will be accepting public comment on this proposal until 5 p.m. on October 31. Click here for more information.
