Where will the garbage go if we don't expand the dump? 

While all towns generate trash, not all have landfills. And somehow those towns without landfills still have their garbage picked up every week. We’ve done our part since the 50s when the dump opened. Another landfill can take a turn. For all Plainfield Township residents, JP Mascaro has stated the garbage collected is brought to their facility in Coplay, not to the GCSL landfill in Plainfield Township.

What impact on jobs would result from closing the current landfill? 

According to WM estimates, just 35 employees currently work at the plant, and this would be brought down to 1 employee doing monitoring and maintenance if the dump was closed. 

We call on waste management to put their billions of dollars of profits where their mouth is. Donations to community projects are all fine and well, but if you’re really committed to leaving the community as clean as you found it, support your employees. Support them in maximizing employment opportunities to wind down the current facility. Support them in transitioning into other opportunities within the company or with some of the many partners they work with. Make no mistake: The fate of WM employees does not hinge on the decision of a board of supervisors. Whatever happens to them will be by the hands of WM. Will they decide to do right by their employees, or what makes the most profit for their shareholders? 

What impacts to traffic are anticipated if WM's plan goes through? 

Additional traffic regularly crossing Pen Argyl Road connecting the existing facility where the trucks are weighed to the new facility where they would dump the trash is anticipated throughout the business day. 

Here are some examples where landfills have negatively impacted the environment and health of residents. These are just a few examples of what we're trying to avoid. No matter how carefully constructed and highly regulated, disasters still happen. The risk is not worth it! We've done our fair share.

Chiquita Canyon Landfill (California): 

An underground fire at a Los Angeles County landfill has been quietly burning since 2022, releasing toxic gases into nearby neighborhoods. Residents near the Chiquita Canyon Landfill report chronic symptoms—including nosebleeds, skin rashes, and a rise in cancer diagnoses—while officials continue to monitor the site. The fire has grown to 90 acres and may continue to burn for decades. This is a a chilling reminder of the coal mines of Centralia, PA which caused the town to be evacuated. 

On the landfill fire: “People are getting cancer. They can’t sell their homes. Their kids can’t go outside. And we still haven’t declared a state of emergency,” said Assemblymember Schiavo, who has called for relocation support and stronger intervention.

• A burning California landfill has made neighbors miserable for 3 years. Can lawmakers help?

• L.A. County leader calls for residents to be relocated as garbage burns inside Chiquita Canyon Landfill

• More coverage on the Chiquita Canyon Landfill here. 

Love Canal (Niagara Falls, New York): 

This is perhaps the most infamous case. Hooker Chemical Company (later Occidental Petroleum) dumped over 21,000 tons of toxic chemicals, including dioxin, into a former canal bed from the 1940s to the 1950s. The area was then sold to the local school board for $1. Homes and a school were built on top of the filled canal. By the late 1970s, residents began experiencing severe health problems, including high rates of birth defects, miscarriages, leukemia, and other illnesses, due to the leaking toxic waste. This disaster led to widespread public outcry, the evacuation of hundreds of families, and the establishment of the Superfund program in the United States to clean up hazardous waste sites.

Fresh Kills Landfill (Staten Island, New York): 

While not a sudden "incident," the sheer scale and long operational history (1948-2001, briefly reopened after 9/11) of what was once the world's largest landfill led to significant environmental impacts. These included massive methane emissions (a potent greenhouse gas), potential leachate contamination of surrounding waterways, and air quality issues for nearby residents due to odors and airborne litter. Its ongoing transformation into a park highlights both the environmental burden it represented and the potential for remediation. The "syringe tide" of the late 1980s, where medical waste from Fresh Kills washed up on New Jersey and New York beaches, was a notable acute event linked to the landfill. 

Health concerns were one of the largest topics discussed at the planning commission meetings. Specifically, we have no longitudinal health studies in the area as John Rinehart suggested between twin rivers and ESU. Furthermore, data on the impacts more broadly on landfills near residential areas were lacking or outdated. But what data we do have, such as a literature review dated 2000 on the nih.gov website  indicated that living near landfill sites can be associated with increased risks of respiratory issues, certain cancers, birth defects, and other health problems due to exposure to pollutants and toxins.