Pennsylvania DEP Approves Assessment for C&D Landfill

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has approved the environmental assessment for the proposed expansion of Environmental Recycling & Servicesf landfill in Lackawanna County.

"ERSI documented that the environmental, social and economic benefits outweighed the potential environmental harms, and we have approved the first phase of their expansion application," said Michael Bedrin, DEPfs Northeast Regional director. "This is the first step in the review process. A comprehensive review of the engineering and technical aspects of the application will now begin."

The landfillfs application requests about 60 acres of disposal area, much of which would overlay the existing construction and demolition debris waste landfill and the former Amity Landfill.

DEP denied the landfillfs expansion application in February 2006 and ERSI appealed that decision to the Environmental Hearing Board. The EHB ruled in favor of the landfill in October 2007 and instructed DEP to conduct further review of the application.

ERSI submitted an updated permit application to DEP last January. A public hearing was held July 15, 2008. The departmentfs review was completed in November 2008 and the landfill provided responses to the departmentfs comments in March 2009.

The landfill was able to show that it would be able to address potential harms such as odors, dust, noise, stormwater, traffic and litter. The environmental, social and economic benefits reviewed included: A 20-cent- per-ton-fee to be paid to Taylor Borough; a waste disposal tax paid to Riverside School District; employment; use of landfill equipment and personnel to assist local emergency management responders; purchases of goods and services; salvaging and recycling waste materials; a reduction in the generation of leachate at the site; and enhanced landfill gas collection.

The environmental assessment approval does not authorize changes to the landfillfs status at this time. The site is closed until DEP makes a final determination on the review of the engineering and technical aspects of the application.