Landfill? More like landfull, foes say

With help from Irie Sentner

Seneca Meadows, New York's largest landfill, could get even bigger.

The current plan, proposed by the landfill’s Texas-based operator Waste Connections, would expand the landfill by 47 acres and approximately 70 feet in height. It is already the eighth largest landfill in the country – almost as tall as the Statue of Liberty.

The growth of the Finger Lakes landfill continues to draw the ire of local Democratic leaders and environmental groups, who held a news conference at the Capitol today to say the plan stinks.

“We can’t continue to neglect the Finger Lakes. In the Finger Lakes and the Great Lakes combined, we have about 95 percent of all surface freshwater in the United States,” Assemblymember Anna Kelles (D-Ithaca) said. “That is what we’re risking.”

Residents and people fighting the expansion are concerned about the landfill’s toxic chemicals on the Finger Lakes and Seneca Lake. Landfills can produce a toxic liquid called leachate, which can leech into nearby bodies of water, as well as produce greenhouse gasses.

New York’s climate plans calls for the reduction of waste going to landfills.

Waste Connections’ plan would extend the lifetime of the landfill by 15 years. It’s currently slated to shut down in 2025, and the proposal before the state would extend that to 2040.

The company, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, has touted its safety record and role in the community, saying on its website: “Seneca Meadows understands that actively participating in the community is just as important as maintaining our outstanding track record of safety and environmental stewardship.”

But lawmakers said the goal should be less waste.

“We want the Finger Lakes to be known for