Landfill Watchdog - Club 3000

White House ‘of two minds’ in enforcing Clean Air Act

2007-10-16T05:42:00.000-04:00

By Juliet Eilperin
The Washington Post

WASHINGTON, DC - Although the Environmental Protection Agency joined in a legal settlement last week to force the largest power-plant pollution cleanup in U.S. history, the Bush administration signaled in the agreement that it has no intention of taking enforcement actions against the utility for the same kind of Clean Air Act violations in the future.

The language of the settlement indicates that the administration has not wavered in its distaste for a Clinton-era policy of using the law to force power plants to upgrade their pollution controls whenever they significantly update or expand a plant.

That marks a significant victory for the power industry, which has strenuously opposed the “New Source Review,” saying that it penalizes them for efficiency improvements that ultimately benefit consumers and the environment....Read more.

Ohio among nation’s top water polluters

2007-10-16T05:22:00.000-04:00

The Canton Repository

COLUMBUS (AP) - Ohio ranked first in the nation in the number of times its major factories and cities released an unauthorized amount of harmful chemicals and untreated sewage into waterways, according to a report released by an environmental group Thursday.

Cities and industrial facilities across the 50 states frequently deposited more pollution into the nation’s waterways than the 1972 federal Clean Water Act allows, said the report from the nonprofit group Environment Ohio.

The group looked at 2005 water pollution data from cities and industries that were deemed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to release a significant amount of toxins into major waterways....Read more.

Dover firm in top water polluters

2007-10-15T15:29:00.000-04:00

By Paul Kostyu
The Canton Repository

COLUMBUS - A Tuscarawas County company is one of the worst water polluters in the state and contributes to Ohio's rank as the worst state for water pollution violations, according to a report released on the 35th anniversary of the federal Clean Water Act.

Dover Chemical exceeded its water permit limits 10 times in 2005, the latest data available, according to Environment Ohio, a nonprofit advocacy group.

Forty-six of the 270 companies and city governments studied exceeded permit limits multiple times for what can be dumped in waterways.

The report details the reason Ohio ranks high on the national list of poor water quality, said Amy Gomberg, a spokesman for Environment Ohio....Read more.

Waste Management works on ‘green’ strategy

2007-10-15T15:18:00.000-04:00

By John Porretto
The Associated Press

HOUSTON, TX - Waste Management, the nation’s largest garbage hauler and landfill operator, plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars over the next dozen years to make its operations more environmentally friendly.

The company plans to increase its energy production from waste, buy more fuel-efficient vehicles and more than double the amount of recyclable material it processes, among other initiatives.

Waste Management chief executive David Steiner is scheduled to announce the plan today at the World Business Forum in New York.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Steiner said the “green” strategy also will boost Waste Management’s bottom line. The company reported $13.4 billion in revenue in 2006....Read more.

Ring of fire

2007-10-15T11:41:00.000-04:00

The Akron Beacon Journal

PIKE TWP - Devising a solution to the problem of smoldering, smelly underground garbage at the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in southern Stark County just got more difficult. In a letter last week to Republic Services about its Pike Township landfill, Chris Korleski, director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, warned of new evidence that underground fires are spreading.

Korleski, whose agency is studying a long-term solution, wisely is calling for a greater degree of caution in landfill operations. He has ordered the company to shift the area where garbage is received farther north, away from older, covered sections where fires have broken out and appear to be spreading. In addition, a fire break, most likely a berm constructed with clay soils, would separate a new active area of the landfill from closed areas....Read more.

Escaped gas sickens workers

2007-10-12T11:01:00.000-04:00

BY Malcolm Hall
The Canton Repository

ALLIANCE - Regional health and safety officials are awaiting lab test results to determine what was in the gas that escaped from the Central Waste landfill earlier this week that made workers sick.

A construction crew from Beaver Excavating of Perry Township was excavating buried sludge and waste at the site and preparing to dispose of it in new burial cells when they became ill.

"There were some odors from the waste that made them feel dizzy," said Steve Roberts, project manager for the company. "As a precaution, we had them go to the hospital. We stopped work to do some investigation to determine the cause. We need to be certain we can proceed safely."...Read more.

Excavation done at old dump

2007-10-07T11:21:00.000-04:00

By Bob Downing
The Akron Beacon Journal

AKRON - A major milestone has been reached in the $60 million cleanup of a toxic-waste dump in northern Summit County.

The contractor, EQ Industrial Services Inc. of Wayne, Mich., has hauled away in excess of 225,000 tons of contaminated soil and debris from two parcels off Hines Hill Road in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

The work to stabilize the dump that was owned and operated by the Krejci family took two years to complete.

The two tracts, together covering 47 acres, are on opposite sites off Hines Hill Road in Boston and Northfield Center townships. The sites are separated by Interstate 271....Read more.

Commissioners: Is EPA moving too slowly on Countywide fire?

2007-10-06T10:37:00.000-04:00

By BARB LIMBACHER
The Times-Reporter

BOLIVAR - Tuscarawas County commissioners expressed their disappointment with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency regarding an ongoing underground landfill fire.

The comments came Friday during and after the board of directors meeting of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District. The issue arose regarding the Oct. 1 letter to officials of Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility near Bolivar about installing a firebreak as an interim fire suppression measure. OEPA Director Chris Korleski wrote to Countywide officials that the fire is migrating throughout the original 88 acres and possibly into Cell 7, which was the first cell of expansion....Read more.

Landfill fire may spread to new area, EPA warns

2007-10-06T10:10:00.000-04:00

By Bob Downing
The Akron Beacon Journal

PIKE TWP - The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is convinced that underground fires in a 258-acre Stark County landfill are spreading throughout the landfill's original 88 acres.

EPA Director Chris Korleski, in a letter to Republic Services, said his agency is worried that the problems at Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in Pike Township could spread into trash dumped in new areas of the landfill.

The dump runs along the east side of Interstate 77 south of Canton....Read more.

Landfill loses ground

2007-10-05T11:46:00.000-04:00

The Canton Repository

PIKE TWP - In May, the Stark County Board of Health renewed the operating permit for the Countywide landfill in Pike Township for the rest of the year. Before the vote, Health Commissioner William Franks said his investigation of Countywide had focused on these areas: Did the landfill pose an imminent or long-term threat to public health or the environment; what state laws has the landfill violated; can it ever be brought back into compliance?

Franks' recommendation to keep Countywide open, and the board's unanimous decision to do so, meant essentially this: They believed that Countywide's owners had done, were doing and would do enough to ensure that the landfill would operate safely. Obviously they couldn't see into the future. But developments this week call the assessment into question....Read more.

EPA orders firebreaks to be installed at landfill

2007-10-05T11:34:00.000-04:00

By BARB LIMBACHER
The Times-Reporter

EAST SPARTA - Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility in Pike Township, Stark County, has been instructed by Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Director Chris Korleski to install a firebreak between cells 8A and 8B.

The letter from Korleski was sent Monday. In the letter he instructed Republic Services of Florida, Countywide’s parent company, to install a firebreak as an interim fire suppression measure.

Countywide submitted data on March 28 in correlation with the OEPA director’s final findings and orders. Analysis of the data led the director to conclude that the fire is migrating beyond the original 88 acres and possibly into the expansion area (cell 7). Cell 8B is a new cell being prepared for future waste disposal.

Korleski said the firebreak is required to be installed to protect human health, safety and environment....Read more.

EPA tells landfill to install firebreak

2007-10-05T11:21:00.000-04:00

BY Robert Wang
The Canton Repository

PIKE TWP - The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has concluded that an underground fire is spreading throughout the original 88 acres of the Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility.

In a letter dated Monday, EPA Director Chris Korleski said that the fire could be moving into Cell 7, the first constructed section of the landfill's 170-acre expansion, which began taking waste in early 2005.

Korleski has ordered the landfill to take safety precautions - one in the form of a cleared strip of land - to keep the fire from spreading.

"In an effort to prevent further spread of the fire and to avoid adding additional fuel (waste) to the fire, I believe installation of a firebreak is required to protect human health, safety and the environment," Korleski wrote....Read more.

Wells may pose threat at Lowell landfill

2007-09-28T11:04:00.000-04:00

By John Byrne
The Post-Tribune

LOWELL, IN - An investigation into pollution levels at the Feddeler landfill may actually have made the pollution worse, according to state officials.

Arguing wells dug at the Feddeler site last year by Lake County environmental contractors could contribute to water contamination, the state Department of Environmental Management has threatened to fine the Lake County Sheriff's Department up to $25,000 per day.

State officials contend the Sheriff's Department overstepped its authority and violated environmental statutes last year while investigating whether chemical discharges from the long-dormant landfill north of Indiana 2 were fouling the air or groundwater around Lowell....Read more.

Company gets green light for landfill near Bennett

2007-09-26T22:20:00.000-04:00

By Bill Scanlon
Rocky Mountain News

BRIGHTON, CO - Thirty angry homeowners on Wednesday lost their bid to stop construction of a landfill near them, but at least they got a public apology from the dump's owner.

"These residents deserve an apology from us for starting the work unannounced," said John Griffith, president of Alpine Waste & Recycling, during a public hearing. "It was a poor move on our part."

Alpine's bulldozers showed up Saturday morning in the neighborhood north of Bennett and six miles east of Denver International Airport. Surprised homeowners complained they were not told a dump was planned near them and said the noise, dust, odor and traffic would lower property values....Read more.

Landfill plan bulldozed them, Adams County homeowners say

2007-09-26T21:52:00.000-04:00

By Bill Scanlon
Rocky Mountain News

ADAMS COUNTY, CO - After years of living next to a wheat farm, homeowners near Bennett saw their new neighbors arrive this weekend - on bulldozers.

A landfill is being dug near them, six miles east of Denver International Airport.

"We're not happy. I don't even know what the smell is going to be like," said Flora Sweed, who lives on a 35-acre property on Schumacher Road near 80th Avenue, across from where the bulldozers started grading the land....Read more.

Potential changes in solid waste district discussed at meeting

2007-09-22T10:39:00.000-04:00

By BARB LIMBACHER
The Times-Reporter

BOLIVAR - What changes would be in store for the board of directors if the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District converted to a regional solid waste authority were discussed Friday at the district’s policy committee meeting.

Several months ago Wayne County Commissioner Ann Obrecht asked for an explanation about the conversion process. After researching the matter, attorney Adam Webber of Black McCuskey Sours and Arbaugh at Canton and Dover reported that the board was allowed to veto a resolution that would make the change.

According to Webber, the policy committee or a governmental entity could request the board to adopt a resolution. The board could then choose to veto the resolution or adopt it to move forward with the conversion....Read more.

EPA to target top Ohio polluters

2007-09-18T22:27:00.000-04:00

BY Paul Kostyu
The Canton Repository

COLUMBUS - For too long Ohio has rated too high among states in the release of toxic emissions, according to the director of the Ohio EPA.

On the 35th anniversary of the agency, Chris Korleski, an Alliance native, announced an initiative he’s calling Tox Minus.

“Every year, Ohio is very, very high on the (federal) Toxic Release Inventory list, especially with air issues,” he told staff at an agency-wide meeting today. “That ain’t helping. That isn’t helping public health; it isn’t helping the public perception of the agency; it isn’t helping economic development. No one wants to invest in a dirty state.”...Read more.

Will e-waste recycling take place year-round?

2007-09-15T08:15:00.000-04:00

BY Robert Wang
The Canton Repository

BOLIVAR - The pile of obsolete televisions, computers and other equipment grew quickly at Stark State College of Technology in Jackson Township.

After a three-day collection in August, the local waste district had about 20 semitruck loads of discarded electronic devices, more than double the collection of the prior year.

Reluctant to send their old monitors, printers, TVs and VCRs to the local landfill, residents waited up to an hour to dispose of the items, so the waste district could have it recycled. Cars lined up all the way up Frank Avenue NW to University Street NW. Extra people had to be called in to handle the waste....Read more.

County, landfill settle case

2007-09-13T08:41:00.000-04:00

BY Kelli Young
The Canton Repository

SANDY TWP - Owners of a Sandy Township landfill that is higher and steeper than its approved limits have agreed to a settlement with the county health department that ensures the violations don’t happen again.

Minerva Enterprises also must pay a $48,264 civil penalty.

Kirk Norris, director of environmental health for the Stark County Health Department, said sections of the landfill at 8955 Minerva Rd. SE are “15 to 30 feet over the maximum elevation that was approved.” About 25 acres of the 110-acre landfill are being used....Read more.

Smell test

2007-09-11T12:35:00.000-04:00

The Akron Beacon Journal

PIKE TWP - In March, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency ordered Republic Waste Services to extinguish underground fires fueled by a chemical reaction at its landfill in southern Stark County. The agency has in mind halting the foul odors emanating from the Countywide landfill for the past year, harming the quality of life for neighboring communities. The company presented a plan in May that called for sealing the smoldering area with a cap of clay, the fires ending in three years to six years.

As Bob Downing, a Beacon Journal staff writer, reported, the agency and the company since have engaged in a dialogue examining courses of action. Republic Waste Services has raised questions about the feasibility of injecting fire-suppressant compounds into the affected section of the landfill. A third option involves excavating the troubled area, covering 88 acres of garbage. Both the injection and excavation are more expensive than installing the cap....Read more.

Fumes at Stark landfill difficult to stop

2007-09-10T11:24:00.000-04:00

By Bob Downing
The Akron Beacon Journal

PIKE TWP - It might be impossible to halt through chemical injection the reaction behind smoldering underground fires at a Stark County landfill.

Preliminary research conducted by landfill owner Republic Waste Services of Ohio indicates that none of five compounds tested in a laboratory would halt the chemical reactions taking place inside the 258-acre Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in Pike Township.

Shaw Environmental Inc., at its New Jersey laboratory, tested three compounds magnesium chloride, sodium silicate and sodium phosphate, all salt-like materials and two commercially available products FirstStrike mine firefighting foam and FlameOut concentrate.

''None of the compounds tested had an effect in controlling or suppressing the aluminum reaction,'' landfill manager Tim Vandersall said in a July 10 letter....Read more.

Waste district wants to stay informed about landfill

2007-09-08T04:35:00.000-04:00

By BARB LIMBACHER
The Times-Reporter

BOLIVAR - Area officials asked to be kept in the loop about any problems regarding I-77 and a nearby landfill.

At Friday’s meeting of the board of directors of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District, Tuscarawas County Commissioner Chris Abbuhl asked the district to contact the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. He wants to make sure the district is kept informed about any landfill settlement in the west slope of Countywide Recycling and Disposal facility and any additional measures to be taken. He said OEPA has made it an issue....Read more.

Tension over landfill cracks

2007-09-08T04:03:00.000-04:00

By Bob Downing
The Akron Beacon Journal

BOLIVAR - Concerns were raised Friday about potential landslides at a landfill next to Interstate 77 in southern Stark County.

However, a spokesman for the owner of the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in Pike Township said there is no problem.

At a meeting of the governing board of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Solid Waste Management District, Club 3000, a Bolivar-based grass-roots organization, brought up the issue of tension cracks at the landfill....Read more.

Semi catches fire near Waynesburg

2007-09-07T11:18:00.000-04:00

The Canton Repository

WAYNESBURG - A portion of Route 43 was shut down about 20 minutes Wednesday afternoon when the brakes failed on this tractor-trailer, causing it to catch fire, said Magnolia Police Chief Jeff Hager. The fire broke out shortly after 4:30 p.m. as the truck, owned by North Atlantic of New York, headed south on Route 43 at Route 44 to the American Landfill with a load of garbage, he said. The driver, who was not injured, pulled off the right side of the road. Patrolman Martin Kiss helped the driver detach the tractor from the burning trailer before the tires on the right side of the trailer exploded....Read more.

EPA probes risks to I-77

2007-09-05T07:38:00.000-04:00

BY Robert Wang
The Canton Repository

PIKE TWP - The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is looking into whether tension cracks and possible slope movement at the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility could affect nearby Interstate 77.

In a letter to the landfill dated Aug. 22, the agency recommended that Countywide by Aug. 27 start installing a series of instruments along its west slope to measure movement of decomposing trash.

EPA spokesman Mike Settles said Tuesday that he believes agency inspectors found tension cracks at the landfill in early August....Read more.

Landfill cracks worry agency

2007-09-05T07:10:00.000-04:00

By Bob Downing
The Akron Beacon Journal

PIKE TWP - The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is concerned about the stability of a troubled landfill in southern Stark County and its effect on Interstate 77.

Tension cracks along the landfill's western slope next to I-77 could indicate slippage problems, the agency warned Republic Waste Services of Ohio in an Aug. 22 letter about its Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in Pike Township.

The EPA wants the company to investigate adding engineering supports....Read more.

United States Ceramic Tile wants to join East Sparta

2007-08-29T14:17:00.000-04:00

By Malcolm Hall
The Canton Repository

EAST SPARTA - This village stands to nearly double in size with the proposed annexation of the 761.8-acre United States Ceramic Tile property from Pike Township.

A petition to have the site annexed into East Sparta was filed Tuesday with Stark County commissioners. The company is seeking annexation to East Sparta to maintain the property as industrial — contrary to what township officials want.

“They approached the village,” Mayor Jacqueline Truax said. “It was their decision. They came to the village and asked if we would be willing to annex them. And we said we would.”...Read more.

River cleanup costs $62 million

2007-08-28T23:42:00.000-04:00

The Canton Repository

ASHTABULA - A river that was nearly declared a U.S. EPA Superfund site is being dredged at a cost of $62 million, which could make the toxic waterway swimmable in five years.

Giant sluglike sacks are filling up outside Ashtabula Harbor, holding in their bulging bellies the toxic dregs of past industrial decades.

The Ashtabula River, about 50 miles northeast of Cleveland, has long been considered among the most polluted sites along the Lake Erie shore. It hasn't been dredged since 1962.

In the subsequent 45 years, its bottom was soiled by cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls, low-level radioactive materials, heavy metals, and oil and grease from chemical plants and other heavy industry that has since scaled back, cleaned up or simply shut down and left the economically depressed area....Read more.

Cleaner skies could mean more landfills

2007-08-28T23:24:00.000-04:00

By Anna Jo Bratton
The Associated Press

OMAHA, NE - As the nation's coal-fired power plants work to create cleaner skies, they'll likely fill up landfills with millions more tons of potentially harmful ash.

More than one-third of the ash generated at the country's hundreds of coal-fired plants is now recycled - mixed with cement to build highways or used to stabilize embankments, among other things.

But in a process being used increasingly across the nation, chemicals are injected into plants' emissions to capture airborne pollutants....Read more.

Don't dump 'losers'

2007-08-25T12:09:00.000-04:00

The Canton Repository

PIKE TWP - The Countywide landfill is paying the state $250,000 that will benefit the area around the Pike Township facility. Residents' wish list of projects is long. Why let the list go to waste after the winning ideas are chosen?...Read more.

Public tells EPA how to use cash

2007-08-23T09:13:00.000-04:00

By Bob Downing
The Akron Beacon Journal

PIKE TWP - When the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency asked for suggestions on how to spend $250,000 to benefit residents who live around a controversial landfill in southeast Stark County, there was no shortage of ideas.

One person proposed buying heavy-duty respiratory masks for the neighbors.

Another proposed planting $250,000 in oak trees to hide the 250-acre Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in Pike Township.

A group of artists is seeking a grant for an art show to promote recycling....

Another request would protect local aquifers from pollution....Read more.

I-77 backup near Belden Village caused by burning trash in truck

2007-08-21T10:47:00.000-04:00

The Canton Repository

JACKSON TWP - A trash truck caught fire on Interstate 77, slowing traffic in the southbound lanes for more than an hour Monday.

Truck Driver Carey Meff was hauling trash for R &J Trucking when he saw flames shooting out of the back of the semi he was driving at about 4 p.m.

"It's my first day on the job," Meff said. "I'm not happy at all. I looked in my mirror and all I saw was fire."

He was able to pull off to the side of the highway near the Belden Village exit. Meff was hauling trash from the Harvard Road Transfer Station in Newburgh Heights to Countywide's site in Pike Township....Read more.

Smoldering problem

2007-08-20T07:47:00.000-04:00

The Akron Beacon Journal

PIKE TWP - Not so fast, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has warned the operator of a smelly Stark County landfill. Republic Waste Services of Ohio says it wants to cap 88 acres of the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in Pike Township as the most cost-effective and foolproof way to deal with smoldering underground garbage.

An end to months of obnoxious odors, caused when buried aluminum waste came into contact with landfill liquids, is certainly desirable. But the state EPA's sternly worded letter makes clear that no action should be taken until a permanent remedy has been approved by the agency, which is still reviewing the company's plan....Read more.

Temperature increase slight at Countywide

2007-08-18T07:51:00.000-04:00

BY Robert Wang
The Canton Repository

PIKE TWP - The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is trying to determine what is causing a slight temperature increase within the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility, a state official said Friday.

Ed Gortner, one of the EPA’s enforcement coordinators, said EPA staffers want to look at more temperature readings from the landfill on Gracemont Street SW.

In April, one gas well had a reading of 228 degrees. By June, a nearby well was at 230 degrees. While that may not seem significant, Gortner said Countywide has submitted data indicating higher temperatures throughout the landfill....Read more.

Ohio EPA opposes cap at Stark landfill

2007-08-18T07:30:00.000-04:00

By Bob Downing
The Akron Beacon Journal

COLUMBUS - The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is directing the company that owns the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in southern Stark County not to proceed with capping parts of the landfill.

Capping those sections of the Pike Township landfill would be premature and a violation of EPA Director Chris Korleski's orders, as well as state law, Ed Gortner said Tuesday in an EPA letter to Republic Waste Services of Ohio.

The EPA wants the company to delay installing a permanent cap of clay and a synthetic liner until Korleski decides what steps are needed to extinguish underground fires at the 258-acre landfill....Read more.

Strickland's reversal on fee is welcome

2007-08-14T08:53:00.000-04:00

The Canton Repository

COLUMBUS - Gov. Ted Strickland has seen the wisdom of imposing a small fee on certain landfills. His second thoughts are appreciated.

The fee of 10 cents per ton was to be charged to landfills that accept construction and demolition debris. The money was to be used to monitor groundwater at the landfills. The Legislature approved the fee two years ago, and it was to take effect July 1. Then it ran into the new governor's no-new-taxes-or-fees policy.

Strickland left the fee out of the new budget, despite its also having the support of his EPA director, and despite its acceptance by the landfills. Now that the budget has taken effect, Strickland said his goal has been accomplished....Read more.

Landfill in Sandy might buy Exit C&D

2007-08-11T06:42:00.000-04:00

BY Malcolm Hall
The Canton Repository

OSNABURG TWP - Operators of American Landfill in Sandy Township are weighing an offer to buy the dormant Exit C&D Landfill in the 7000 block of Fairhill Street SE.

Waste Management, which owns American Landfill, would not expand waste-burial operations on Exit C&D’s property. If it buys Exit C&D, it would extract soil and clay to use at its existing solid-waste landfill.

The Stark County Health Department has been overseeing the dormant Exit C&D facility....Read more.

Strickland to impose debris landfill fee after all

2007-08-11T06:28:00.000-04:00

BY Paul Kostyu
The Canton Repository

COLUMBUS - Gov. Ted Strickland’s administration reversed course and now appears ready to impose fees on construction and demolition debris landfills to help monitor groundwater.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency said Friday it was seeking comment on a rule that would impose a 5 cents per cubic yard or 10 cents per ton fee on the disposal of construction and demolition debris.

In April, Strickland dropped the fee from the budget he proposed to the General Assembly, even though lawmakers had authorized the imposition of the fees in 2004, during the administration of Gov. Bob Taft. The budget went into effect July 1 without the fee included....Read more.

Landfill rules needed, one way or another

2007-08-10T11:19:00.000-04:00

The Canton Repository

CANTON - Do Stark and two neighboring counties have a legal say in how their landfills operate? That is a question Judge Richard D. Reinbold Jr. will answer. We hope he finds that the law is on Stark County’s side. If not, Stark-area state legislators should consider the ball in their court.

Reinbold, of Stark County Common Pleas Court, is hearing a lawsuit bought by the National Solid Waste Management Association. The trade group maintains that the Stark- Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District did not have the authority last year to create rules for operation of landfills in the district....Read more.

Landfill restrictions challenged

2007-08-09T08:20:00.000-04:00

The Times-Reporter

CANTON - A national waste industry group was in Stark County Common Pleas Court Wednesday asking a judge to void local restrictions on landfills.

At issue are rules set by the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District in December.

They include that landfills must minimize odors, dust, noise and vibration. They limit hours of operation and require landfills to monitor groundwater and develop plans for litter collection, odor control and emergency situations....Read more.

Landfill odors may increase

2007-08-04T10:56:00.000-04:00

By BARB LIMBACHER
The Times-Reporter

EAST SPARTA - Those living in the area of Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility, located in Pike Township of Stark County, may notice an increase in odors coming from the landfill.

According to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s Web site, landfill owner Republic Services must drill seven borings into the landfill’s south slope and former disposal area where a chemical reaction causing extreme heat is occurring....Read more.

Landfill area road repairs funded

2007-08-04T10:41:00.000-04:00

By BARB LIMBACHER
The Times-Reporter

BOLIVAR - Stark County Engineer Mike Rehfus will get $100,000 toward road repairs around Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility after the board of directors of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District unanimously approved the request during Friday’s meeting.

In May, Rehfus asked for $147,756 to repair the narrow county roads trash haulers travel daily – Fohl Rd., Gracemont St., Sherman Church Rd. and Dueber Ave. Rehfus said Dueber needs the most repairs. Rehfus told the board the top layer of asphalt is peeling off where the trash trucks turn, which causes distress to the pavement.

Countywide is located in Pike Township of Stark County and more than 300 trash hauling trucks use the roads every day....Read more.

Roads near Countywide landfill to be patched

2007-08-04T10:21:00.000-04:00

The Canton Repository

BOLIVAR - Solid waste district board members had been locked in a 4-4 split over whether to fund road repairs around Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility.

But Friday the board of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District was unanimous, giving Stark County Engineer Michael Rehfus up to $100,000 to patch roads damaged by truck traffic.

Some board members changed their votes after a subcommittee began developing a policy for road maintenance, said district Executive Director David Held. Held said the policy will be ready in several months....Read more.

Road repairs near landfill to be funded

2007-08-04T10:01:00.000-04:00

By Bob Downing
The Akron Beacon Journal

BOLIVAR - Stark County Engineer Michael Rehfus is getting $100,000 to repair roads around a landfill in southern Stark County.

The Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Solid Waste Management District voted Friday to allocate the money for much-needed repairs on county roads around the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in Pike Township.

The work will be funded by interest, not tipping fees, officials said....Read more.

Rain erodes landfill cover

2007-08-02T23:38:00.000-04:00

By Derek Pivnick
The Pensacola News Journal

PENSACOLA, FL - Recent downpours have caused serious erosion to the 2-foot layer of topsoil covering the troubled Saufley Landfill, threatening to put the dump further into legal trouble and possibly delaying its final closure.

The dump is filled with construction and demolition debris, most of which resulted from Hurricane Ivan destruction in September 2004. Its owners have been in hot water with the court, regulators and neighbors since a subterranean fire broke out there in November 2005.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection said last week in a letter to the landfill's lawyer, Steve Bowden, that the state will not sign off on the closure until all the issues are addressed....Read more.

Legislators support tougher landfill law

2007-08-02T22:42:00.000-04:00

By Wade Rawlins
The News & Observer

RALEIGH, NC - Just before midnight Wednesday, the state Senate and then the House tentatively approved more stringent regulation of landfills despite intense lobbying by waste haulers.

"I know there are some companies that do not like this bill," Sen. Charlie Albertson, a Duplin County Democrat, told the Senate. "I know there are many more constituents who love this bill and the protections it provides the community and the environment."

The bill, if it receives final approval today, would add a statewide disposal tax, increase setback requirements to protect streams, require increased financial assurances by companies wanting to build facilities, and require computer manufacturers to recycle the computers sold in the state....Read more.

State files nearly 60 environmental law violation cases

2007-08-01T19:30:00.000-04:00

By Steve Bennish
The Journal News

COLUMBUS - The state attorney general's office has filed nearly 60 enforcement action cases against environmental law violators, Attorney General Marc Dann said, which bests his predecessors.

"Many of these cases had been accumulating for years without any real action being taken on behalf of the people, yet significant violations of the law kept occurring," he said.

"The defendants had more than enough time to correct themselves, but chose to ignore those orders," he said....Read more.

Residents vow to monitor landfill

2007-07-27T13:54:00.000-04:00

By Jane Hawes
The Columbus Dispatch

MOUNT GILEAD - The legal battles might be over, but residents downwind and downstream from a future Morrow County landfill are preparing to watch what goes into it and comes out.

"Oh yeah, they'll be under surveillance," Bob Durbin said. "We won't be able to trespass, but they will see a car with someone with binoculars."

Durbin is the general manager and a resident of Candlewood Lake, a gated community in northern Morrow County with 557 homes and 380 campground lots. The community sprang up in 1972 around a man-made, 280-acre lake fed by Whetstone Creek. It is about 3 miles southeast of where the landfill is to be built....Read more.

Board appealing landfill expansion

2007-07-26T18:20:00.000-04:00

By BARB LIMBACHER
The Times-Reporter

BOLIVAR - An appeal of the June 27 decision to allow a 170-acre expansion by Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility will be filed on behalf of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District board of directors.

The appeal of the decision by the Environmental Review Appeals Commission will be filed with the 10th District Court of Appeals at Columbus. It must be filed by Friday.

The expansion will take total acreage at the facility, located in Stark County’s Pike Township and owned by Republic Services Inc., based in Florida, to 258 acres....Read more.

Waste district appeals ruling

2007-07-26T18:02:00.000-04:00

BY Robert Wang
The Canton Repository

BOLIVAR - Like Jason from the “Friday the 13th” movies, the legal appeal of the Countywide Landfill’s expansion never seems to die.

The local waste district board Wednesday voted 5 to 3 to appeal a ruling by a state panel that upheld the granting of an expansion permit to the Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility.

The motion’s supporters were Stark County Commissioner Todd Bosley, Wayne County Commissioner Scott Wiggam and Tuscarawas County commissioners Jim Seldenright, Chris Abbuhl and Kerry Metzger....Read more.

Landfill case to be appealed

2007-07-26T17:43:00.000-04:00

By Bob Downing
The Akron Beacon Journal

BOLIVAR - By a 5-3 vote, the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Solid Waste Management District on Wednesday decided to appeal a state decision to permit the expansion of the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in southern Stark County.

The decision, which takes the case to the 10th District Court of Appeals in Columbus, was approved by Stark County Commissioner Todd Bosley, Wayne Commissioner Scott Wiggam and Tuscarawas Commissioners Kerry Metzger, Chris Abbuhl and Jim Seldenright.

The move was opposed by Stark Commissioners Jane Vignos and Tom Harmon and Wayne County's Ann Obrecht.

Wayne Commissioner Cheryl Noah was absent from Wednesday's meeting....Read more.

Waste district appeals ERAC ruling

2007-07-26T17:22:00.000-04:00

BY Robert Wang
The Canton Repository

BOLIVAR - The local waste district today appealed a ruling by a state panel that upheld the granting of an expansion permit to the Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility.

The vote was 5 to 3 in a special meeting of the board of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District.

The motion’s supporters were Stark County Commissioner Todd Bosley, Wayne County Commissioner Scott Wiggam and Tuscarawas County commissioners Jim Seldenright, Chris Abbuhl and Kerry Metzger....Read more.

Garbage district appeals decision on Countywide

2007-07-26T17:02:00.000-04:00

The Akron Beacon Journal

BOLIVAR - By a 5-3 vote, the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Solid Waste Management District today appealed a state decision to permit the expansion of Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in southern Stark County.

Voting for sending the case to the Ohio 10th District Court of Appeals were Stark County Commissioner Todd Bosley, Wayne County Commissioner Scott Wiggam and three Tuscarawas County commissioners: Kerry Metzger, Chris Abbuhl and Jim Seldenright....Read more.

Akron renewal plan goes forward

2007-07-17T06:35:00.000-04:00

By John Higgins
The Akron Beacon Journal

AKRON - The Akron City Council approved a renewal plan and blight report Monday night for 644 acres of industrial land that includes Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.

It was a unanimous vote. Councilman Bruce Kilby, D-2, who owns property within the area, abstained.

Kilby did not abstain, however, from speaking out against the plan. He argued that the city has not fully considered possible environmental problems with Goodyear's inactive landfill, and those comments may land him in legal hot water....Read more.

Landfill response plan criticized

2007-07-14T06:59:00.000-04:00

BY Paul Kostyu
The Canton Repository

COLUMBUS - Do you know whom to call in case of an emergency?

Apparently, the operators of the Countywide landfill in Pike Township don't. They put a wrong number in the emergency response plan they submitted to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

Not only was the number wrong for the Stark County Emergency Management Agency, but the EPA found other problems with the 32-page plan submitted in late May.

The state released its analysis of the plan last week. Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility has until Tuesday to revise the document. The plan is a requirement under orders issued in March in the aftermath of two underground fires and severe odor problems at the landfill....Read more.

EPA sets landfill-fund criteria

2007-07-14T06:31:00.000-04:00

The Canton Repository

COLUMBUS - The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has set criteria for distributing money out of a fund related to problems at the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility.

Under an order from the agency in March, Countywide agreed to pay more than a $1 million fine, after odors from the Pike Township landfill affected hundreds of residents in the area. Of that money, $250,000 will go into a Community Benefit Fund....Read more.

Project funds available through EPA

2007-07-13T00:48:00.000-04:00

The Times-Reporter

COLUMBUS - Chris Korleski, director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, has established guidelines for considering projects that seek money from the $250,000 Community Benefit Project Fund established as part of the agreement between Ohio EPA and Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility in East Sparta.

A release from Ohio EPA spokesman Mike Settles states projects should benefit the most people possible and promote the welfare of the community as a whole. Projects also can receive special consideration if they reflect an investment in the future of the area, are endorsed by local governments, focus on environmental improvements or focus on education programs....Read more.

War on scrap tires costly but effective

2007-07-10T09:22:00.000-04:00

By Gavin Off
The Columbus Dispatch

COLUMBUS - Since 1998, the state has spent more than $27 million to clean up more than 41 million illegal scrap tires.

While some companies have paid for cleanups, many leave the tab for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. In nine years, the agency has had to do a lot of the work itself and has recouped costs from only one company responsible for piles of tires that threaten the environment and public health.

"Cost recovery is very difficult," said Chris Newman, scrap-tire program coordinator for Region 5 of the U.S. EPA. "It is something a lot of states have wrangled with."...Read more.

Waste management adopts mission statement

2007-07-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

By BARB LIMBACHER
The Times-Reporter

BOLIVAR - The Stark- Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District board of directors has adopted a mission statement for the district as recommended by the district’s policy committee.

The statement, adopted at the meeting Friday, is as follows: to assure safe and sanitary disposal of solid waste for district residents and reduce reusable or renewable wastes from entering landfills within the district. This will be accomplished through the development of residential and industrial programs that educate, promote, provide, implement and improve recycling opportunities that will preserve landfill space now and into the future....Read more.

Drilling at landfill could cause a stink

2007-07-07T07:21:00.000-04:00

By Bob Downing
The Akron Beacon Journal

BOLIVAR - Odors from the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in southern Stark County were minimal on July 4, but might increase with upcoming drilling, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency reported Friday.

In addressing the governing board of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Solid Waste District, EPA staff member Kurt Princic said additional drilling is planned at the Pike Township landfill, which has been plagued by odors and underground fires.

The drilling, to begin on July 16, is to install devices to determine whether the landfill has slope problems that could jeopardize its mechanical systems, Princic said....Read more.

Board discusses appeal of landfill growth

2007-07-07T06:54:00.000-04:00

By BARB LIMBACHER
The Times-Reporter

BOLIVAR - No action was taken regarding an appeal of expansion at Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility after a 50-minute executive session by the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint solid Waste Management District board of directors.

After Friday’s meeting, Kerry Metzger, board chairman and a Tuscarawas County commissioner, said no decision was made whether to appeal the June 27 decision by the Ohio Environmental Review Appeals Commission to grant the 170-acre expansion at the landfill in Pike Township of Stark County.

“Legal counsel basically just gave us information and if we have a basis for appeal,”Metzger said, “It was not fair to make a decision before reviewing the information....Read more.

Appeals Commission OKs landfill expansion; foes not giving up

2007-07-07T06:26:00.000-04:00

BY Robert Wang
The Canton Repository

BOLIVAR - The fight over the Countywide landfill’s expansion lasted nearly as long as the Iraq war.
For four years, landfill opponents spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees. They attended weeks of hearings in Columbus. They hired environmental experts. And they filed thousands of pages in legal documents. But in the end, they couldn’t beat the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in Pike Township.

On Friday, board members of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District met in a closed-door session to discuss their legal options....Read more.

Waste district refuses to fund road repairs

2007-07-07T05:59:00.000-04:00

By Bob Downing
The Akron Beacon Journal

BOLIVAR - For the third time, Stark County's efforts to get $147,756 to pave roads near a landfill in southern Stark County were thwarted Friday.

The governing board of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District rejected a request from the Stark County commissioners to fund the roadwork near the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in Pike Township.

The vote was 4-4. Five votes were needed for approval....Read more.

Board agrees to clean up diet at meetings

2007-07-07T05:27:00.000-04:00

By Bob Downing
The Akron Beacon Journal

BOLIVAR - The governing body that monitors the flow of trash into one of the largest landfills in Northeast Ohio wants fewer doughnuts and more fruit.

Not in the landfill, but in their meetings....Read more.

Waste district mulls appeal of landfill expansion plan

2007-07-07T05:09:00.000-04:00

BY Robert Wang
The Canton Repository

BOLIVAR - The local waste district board met in private Friday to consider whether to appeal a state panel’s ruling that upholds the expansion of the Countywide landfill.

Kerry Metzger, who chairs the board of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District, declined to reveal details of the closed-door discussion.

But in reaction to the ruling, the Tuscarawas County commissioner said, “I’m very disappointed. ... I think the solid waste district had very legitimate concerns.”...Read more.

Club 3000 president: ‘We’re not giving up hope’

2007-07-04T07:23:00.000-04:00

By NOAH BLUNDO
The Times-Reporter

COLUMBUS - The Environmental Review Appeals Commission has issued a 99-page ruling in favor of Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility in a case challenging the landfill’s permit for expansion, but further appeals are in the works.

In a 3-0 decision last week, the Franklin County-based commission rejected claims by the appellants – the Stark-Wayne-Tuscarawas Joint Solid Waste District, the village of Bolivar and environmental group Club 3000 – that the Ohio EPA erred in granting an expansion permit in 2003 to the landfill, owned by Republic Services Inc. of Florida. The appellants said in their filings that problems with the engineering of Countywide and the danger of groundwater contamination should have led the EPA to deny the expansion permit....Read more.

Strickland gives Hagan brushoff on landfill fees

2007-07-03T22:16:00.000-04:00

BY Paul Kostyu
The Canton Repository

COLUMBUS - State Rep. John Hagan isn’t holding his breath waiting to hear from Gov. Ted Strickland.

Hagan, R-Marlboro Township, is a bit peeved with the governor’s decision not to charge a 10-cent-per-ton fee on waste dumped at construction and demolition debris landfills. And, he said, a lack of action by the administration is costing senior Ohioans money on their prescription drugs.

Hagan said the waste fee is needed to monitor groundwater and protect the public. Hagan, who sponsored legislation that set standards for construction and demolition landfills, wrote Strickland in early April suggesting the governor include the fees in the state’s two-year budget. That budget, without the fee, was approved by the Legislature and signed into law last week by Strickland. It took effect Sunday....Read more.

Garbage from out of state declines

2007-07-03T08:29:00.000-04:00

By Amy Rinard
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MILWAUKEE, WI - The amount of garbage from other states trucked to Wisconsin and dumped in landfills here declined last year, possibly the result of higher gas prices and increased market value for recyclables.

Other states, mostly Illinois and Minnesota, sent a total of 1.9 million tons of their trash to Wisconsin landfills last year, according to a new report compiled by the state Department of Natural Resources.

That was about 229,000 tons less than the 2.1 million tons of out-of-state waste dumped in Wisconsin in 2005, DNR reports show. The all-time high was 2.2 million tons in 2004. In 1990, Wisconsin took in 290,000 tons of waste from other states....Read more.

Waste Management to convert landfill methane to electricity

2007-06-28T10:10:00.000-04:00

By John Porretto
The Associated Press

HOUSTON, TX - Waste Management Inc., the nation's largest garbage hauler and landfill operator, plans to spend roughly $400 million over the next five years building facilities at 60 landfills, including some in Illinois, to convert methane gas to electricity.

It is Waste Management's most ambitious renewable energy project to date.

Landfills are the largest source of methane emissions in the United States, accounting for 34 percent of such releases, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Methane is the second-biggest man-made contributor to global warming behind carbon dioxide....Read more.

EPA seeks residents’ feedback on grants

2007-06-24T08:22:00.000-04:00

By Bob Downing
The Akron Beacon Journal

COLUMBUS - The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency will accept comments through Saturday on a fund established in connection with fires and odors at a southern Stark County landfill.

Residents near the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in Pike Township can submit their comments on criteria the agency should consider in awarding grants from the $250,000 Community Benefit Project Fund.

Republic Waste Services, the company that owns and operates the 258-acre landfill, was ordered in a March 28 agreement with the EPA to pay a $1 million fine, of which $250,000 would benefit communities in southern Stark and northern Tuscarawas counties....Read more.

Firefighters extinguish blaze in landfill trailer in Pike Township

2007-06-21T10:06:00.000-04:00

The Canton Repository

PIKE TWP - East Sparta firefighters extinguished a fire that broke out Wednesday evening in a trailer of waste at the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility, a fire official said.

East Sparta Fire Chief Arnie Adams said the blaze was first reported at about 9:45 p.m., and the cause is unknown. No one was hurt, and the fire, which did not spread, caused no environmental problems, he added....Read more.

EPA official: Odors at Countywide less frequent

2007-06-04T09:40:00.000-04:00

By BARB LIMBACHER
The Times-Reporter

BOLIVAR - The odors at Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility still are being detected but the frequency is going down, Kurt Princic, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency environmental manager at the Northeast District office told the board of directors of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District on Friday.

“We have taken eight separate (odor) surveys in May. The last one was on Memorial Day and we did not detect any odors. I am not saying the odors have gone away completely,” Princic said. “On two occasions we smelled no odor, three times on a scale of one to four, it was a one, and three times it was between a 1.5 and two. A four is the worst,” he said.

According to OEPA, Countywide has been working to improve the conditions at the landfill and comply with the OEPA orders....Read more.

Passing the smell test

2007-06-04T09:10:00.000-04:00

The Akron Beacon Journal

PIKE TWP - Republic Waste Services of Ohio is anxious to cap the controversy emanating from its landfill in southern Stark County. To do so, the company has devised a plan to cover 88 acres of the 258-acre Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in Pike Township with a synthetic liner, in effect, snuffing out smoldering underground fires. The fires have triggered the odor problem that has afflicted neighboring communities for months.

Will Flower, a spokesman for parent company Republic Services Inc. of Florida, is hopeful the Ohio EPA will approve the plan. Engineers hired by Republic rejected two alternatives, excavating the 88 acres or injecting chemicals to put out the fires, as too costly or too risky. As it is, capping part of the landfill would take an estimated three to six years compared to at least 10 years for excavation....Read more.

Landfill road repairs in limbo

2007-06-02T06:22:00.000-04:00

By BARB LIMBACHER
The Times-Reporter

BOLIVAR - Don’t expect to see smoother roads around Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility any time soon.

After a lengthy discussion with Stark County Engineer Mike Rehfus about repairing the haul roads around the landfill in Pike Township of Stark County, Rehfus was left in limbo by the board of directors of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District at Friday’s meeting.

Twice the board’s vote ended 4-4, with the tie denying the granting of the funds. The first vote was for $119,394 to repair the roads immediately. The second was for $147,756, which included $30,000 spent by Stark County earlier in the year....Read more.

Stark to ask landfill to pay for repair of 4 roads

2007-06-02T05:55:00.000-04:00

By Bob Downing
The Akron Beacon Journal

BOLIVAR - The Stark County engineer will ask a landfill operator for money to help repair county roads used by garbage trucks en route to the company site.

Stark County Engineer Michael Rehfus said he will make that request of the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility after the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Solid Waste Management District voted twice Friday against allocating money for the repaving.

Rehfus said he was prepared to suggest that the load limits be reduced on the four county roads used by heavily loaded garbage trucks bound for the landfill in Pike Township, a move that would reduce damage to the roads but could have a major impact on garbage haulers and on the 258-acre landfill....Read more.

Waste district denies funding

2007-06-01T14:16:00.000-04:00

BY Robert Wang
The Canton Repository

BOLIVAR - Gayle Jackson is no longer a Stark County commissioner, and that may mean roads damaged by garbage trucks won’t get fixed any time soon.

The board of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District voted Friday to deny spending $147,757 on repairs for roads used by trucks that carry waste to the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility....Read more.

Countywide: years for fix - Company maintains that there's no fire at controversial landfill

2007-05-30T08:57:00.000-04:00

By PAUL KOSTYU
The Times-Reporter

COLUMBUS - Maintaining its view that there are no underground fires at the Countywide landfill, Republic Services of Ohio said in its Fire Suppression Plan to the Ohio EPA that fixing problems there will take years. Critics accused the company of wanting to maintain the status quo to the detriment of landfill neighbors.

In March, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency ordered the com-pany to submit a plan by Tuesday to deal with the fires within the 258-acre Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility.

In the plan, the company said excavating the 88 acres where the problems have occurred would take 10 years to complete, “be prohibitively expensive,” “create significant health and safety concerns for site workers” and “create significant air emissions resulting in overwhelming odor impacts for the community.”...Read more.

EPA receives landfill plan for fire safety

2007-05-30T08:19:00.000-04:00

By Bob Downing
The Akron Beacon Journal

PIKE TWP - Placing a synthetic liner over a portion of a major landfill in southern Stark County is the best way to extinguish the underground fires there.

That's the conclusion of a 62-page fire-suppression plan submitted Friday to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and released Tuesday on the EPA's Web site.

The plan was prepared for Republic Waste Services of Ohio for its Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility, a 258-acre landfill in Pike Township that takes in about half of Summit County's trash. The company faced a Tuesday deadline to submit its fire plan to the state under a March 28 agreement....Read more.

Fire suppression plan submitted for landfill

2007-05-30T08:01:00.000-04:00

By Bob Downing
The Akron Beacon Journal

PIKE TWP - Additional capping over the next three to six years is the best way to extinguish fires at a major landfill in southern Stark County.

That's the proposal prepared for Republic Waste Services of Ohio for dealing with underground fires at its Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in Pike Township.

The 62-page fire-suppression plan was submitted late Friday to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and released today on the EPA's Web site....Read more.

Joint solid waste district introduces new programs

2007-05-21T16:35:00.000-04:00

By BARB LIMBACHER
The Times-Reporter

BOLIVAR - Assistant Executive Director Lenny Broome explained the new programs that have been implemented into the solid waste plan for the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District during a policy committee meeting Friday in the district office.

The district has 153 ongoing programs, and 36 new programs are being implemented into the plan. Some of the new programs are as follows:...Read more.

Fund set up to help sort out landfill mess

2007-05-20T05:01:00.000-04:00

BY Paul Kostyu
The Canton Repository

COLUMBUS - The Ohio EPA has set up a way for people to send comments about and suggest ideas for a $250,000 Community Benefit Project Fund created because of underground fires and odor problems at the Countywide landfill in southern Stark County.

EPA Director Chris Korleski created the fund to help the communities affected by problems at the landfill, which is formally known as the Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facilities.

For more than a year, residents of southern Stark and northern Tuscarawas counties have complained about odors at the 250-acre landfill. The EPA finally concluded this year that the stench was caused by two underground fires. Countywide contested the conclusion, but agreed to close off 88 acres of the landfill and to a cleanup and monitoring plan. Part of that plan is the community fund....Read more.

Governance change plan sent to waste district board

2007-05-19T02:04:00.000-04:00

By BARB LIMBACHER
The Times-Reporter

BOLIVAR - A proposal to form a regional solid waste management authority will go the Board of Directors of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Districts after the district’s policy committee passed a resolution at Friday’s meeting asking the board to take the proposal under advisement.

The measure passed by a 9-4 vote, with one abstention. Tuscarawas County Commissioner Jim Seldenright, Warwick Township trustee Belle Everett, Mike Chek of the Tuscarawas County Health Department and Wayne County Commissioner Ann Obrecht voted against the resolution. David Elwell, representative of the public from Wayne County, abstained. Twenty one people serve on the policy committee, but 15 attended Friday. William Franks, Stark County’s health commissioner and the chairman of the policy committee, is not required to vote unless there is a tie....Read more.

Online input: EPA creates Web page on Countywide

2007-05-19T01:33:00.000-04:00

By PAUL KOSTYU
The Times-Reporter

COLUMBUS - The Ohio EPA has established a Web page containing public documents related to its orders for Countywide Landfill and Recycling to fix problems associated with two underground fires.

The state agency also set up an e-mail address for people to send comments about and suggest possible project ideas for a $250,000 Community Benefit Project Fund that EPA Director Chris Korleski created. The fund is intended to help the communities affected by the landfill.

Local residents will be getting a notice detailing the information from Melissa Fazekas, deputy director of communications for the agency....Read more.

Who should have power? County officials oppose change in waste district rules

2007-05-18T10:47:00.000-04:00

By NOAH BLUNDO
The Times-Reporter

BOLIVAR - A proposal going before the policy committee of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste District today that eventually could lead to the creation of a solid waste authority has drawn opposition from Tuscarawas County commissioners, who serve on the district’s board of directors.

Under such an authority, decision-making power would move from the board of directors – made up of the three counties’ commissioners – to a board of trustees with 21 or more members consisting of county, city, township and health department representatives as well as citizens and representatives of waste generators in the area....Read more.

Landfill chief at EPA has new job

2007-05-17T07:37:00.000-04:00

By PAUL KOSTYU
The Times-Reporter

COLUMBUS - The chief of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency division that oversees landfills has been moved to a different position and replaced with another long-term employee of the agency.

Daniel J. Harris, who served as chief of the Division of Solid and Infectious Waste Management since 2001, will oversee “technical aspects of solid waste regulation,” according to Chris Korleski, director of the Ohio EPA....Read more.

EPA searches for evidence of illegal dumping in Pike Township

2007-05-17T07:23:00.000-04:00

BY Malcolm Hall
The Canton Repository

PIKE TWP - Concerns that hazardous and solid waste materials are being dumped on a Riceford Road SW property brought state law-enforcement and environmental authorities here Tuesday.

The investigation is focused on a 42.5-acre site that is the home of Charles "Sonny" Alborn. Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation agents secured the property, on which several junk automobiles and 55-gallon drums were scattered.

"There have been allegations made that there has been hazardous waste illegally dumped and stored on-site, and solid waste as well," said Richard Fair, a BCI special agent who supervises the environmental enforcement unit. "We are here to assist the Ohio EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). They still are in the process of looking and seeing what they got."...Read more.

Landfill's neighbors want fairer shake

2007-05-15T09:25:00.000-04:00

The Canton Repository

PIKE TWP - Here's a picture no Realtor would want a house- shopping client to see: A homeowner wearing a mask while mowing the lawn, the better to blot out the smell from the nearby landfill.

That is an experience Marilyn Stith describes to illustrate the joys of living near the troublesome Countywide landfill in Pike Township. Stith wonders, as she told The Repository for a story Sunday, how her home, to which she says she has made no improvements in 10 years, could increase in value by $41,000 in the most recent reappraisal by the Stark County auditor's office. Stith and 13 other landowners near the landfill want their property taxes lowered....Read more.

Licensing process needs more openness

2007-05-15T09:11:00.000-04:00

The Canton Repository

PLAIN TWP - If you had an interest in the future of the Countywide landfill, did you learn all you wished to know about what went into the decision of the Stark County Board of Health last week to keep the landfill open? Or did you find the process less sensitive to the need for thorough public understanding of this important issue than it could be?

Because Health Commissioner William Franks indicates that he is simply following Ohio law, we challenge state legislators to revisit the law....Read more.

Auditor wants landfill sites re-evaluated

2007-05-13T07:39:00.000-04:00

BY Kelli Young
The Canton Repository

CANTON - Millions of dollars in property taxes hinge on a real estate appraiser’s answer about how much four large Stark County landfills are worth.

The county auditor is trying to determine if landfills owned by Republic Services, American Landfill, Eslich Environmental and Minerva Enterprises have been undervalued — and therefore pay lower taxes than they should. To get the answer, the auditor plans to hire a state-certified private appraiser with a history of assessing landfills or similar properties....Read more.

Landfill’s neighbors contest tax bills

2007-05-13T07:24:00.000-04:00

BY Kelli Young
The Canton Repository

PIKE TWP - Marilyn Stith has tolerated the garbage trucks rumbling down her road to the Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility landfill. She coped with the foul odors from the landfill last year by wearing a mask when she mowed and by keeping her backyard swimming pool under cover.

She has mostly kept her complaints to herself.

Until she opened her tax bill. County appraisers increased the value of her home in one year by $41,000....Read more.

Landfill license renewed

2007-05-10T17:44:00.000-04:00

BY Kelli Young
The Canton Repository

PLAIN TWP - Problems still trouble Countywide landfill.

A chemical-reacting fire still burns there. Garbage-smelling odors still bug neighbors, although not as frequently. And it still violates some Ohio environmental laws. But the Pike Township landfill presents no hazards to public health or the environment, said county health officials, who gave landfill operators at least another seven months to fix its problems.

The county Board of Health unanimously agreed Wednesday to renew Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility's 2007 operating license, following a nearly 45-minute presentation by county Health Commissioner William Franks. He recommended renewal....Read more.

Landfill receives 2007 license

2007-05-10T17:40:00.000-04:00

By Bob Downing
The Akron Beacon Journal

PLAIN TWP - The Stark County Health Department voted Wednesday to approve a 2007 license for a landfill plagued by fires and odor problems in southern Stark County.

With little discussion and following a 46-minute report from Health Commissioner William Franks, the board of health commissioners approved the required permit for the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in Pike Township.

Franks said it cannot be proven that the landfill is a threat to public health or the environment....Read more.

Countywide’s operating license wins renewal

2007-05-09T16:33:00.000-04:00

The Canton Repository

CANTON - The Stark County Board of Health voted unanimously around noon today to renew the 2007 operating license for Countywide landfill in Pike Township.

The vote came on the heels of a recommendation by Stark County Health Commissioner Bill Franks to renew the landfill’s license to operate. Franks said his investigation could not pinpoint a long-term imminent public health threat. He said air monitoring at the landfill showed “no unacceptable risks,” and that there’s no evidence that indicates short- or long-term health affects are a concern....Read more.

License issued for Stark landfill

2007-05-09T16:14:00.000-04:00

The Akron Beacon Journal

PLAIN TWP - The Stark County Health Department voted today to approve a 2007 license for a Stark County landfill where an underground fire has been smoldering.

With little discussion, the board of health commissioners voted to approve the permit for the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in Pike Township, following a lengthy recommendation from Health Commissioner William Franks....Read more.

Who will pay for haul roads? No funds for repairs in waste district budget

2007-05-06T10:06:00.000-04:00

By BARB LIMBACHER
The Times-Reporter

BOLIVAR - What to do about the “deplorable condition” of roads damaged by garbage trucks hauling to Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility was discussed Friday by the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District board of directors.

Stark County Engineer Mike Rehfus asked the board to pay for road repairs around the landfill. Earlier Friday at the district budget committee meeting, Rehfus asked for $147,756 to repair haul roads which include Gracemont Ave., Dueber Ave. and Haut St. He said the haul routes to Countywide need repairs....Read more.

No funds for road repair

2007-05-06T09:42:00.000-04:00

By Bob Downing
The Akron Beacon Journal

BOLIVAR - Stark County Engineer Michael Rehfus was rebuffed Friday in his efforts to get $147,756 to repair roads used by garbage trucks going to a southern Stark County landfill.

The Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Solid Waste Management District took no action on his request for funds to repair damage to Dueber Avenue Southwest, Sherman Church Road, Gracemont Street and Fohl Road used by trucks heading to the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in Pike Township.

But the district did agree to see if the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency will let the district use fees for garbage going into landfills in the three counties to fund the project in three townships south of Canton....Read more.

Concerns aired about test site

2007-05-06T09:24:00.000-04:00

By LEE MORRISON
The Times-Reporter

PORT WASHINGTON - Questions poured in from about 100 area residents wanting to know more about a proposed deep-well research project near Port Washington.

The Ohio Borehole Project was the topic of a public information session Thursday at Tuscarawas Campus of Kent State University at New Philadelphia. The session lasted more than 2 1/2 hours.

Sean Logan, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, was among the speakers. In March, ODNR announced the project which calls for drilling a 9,000-foot-deep well at a site north of Rt. 36 between Gnadenhutten and Port Washington. The test well would determine if carbon dioxide could be stored there far beneath the 750-acre site owned by Holmes Limestone Co. of Berlin. However, officials stressed that there are no plans to permanently store carbon dioxide at the site during the research....Read more.

County hires law firm to appeal EPA orders on landfill problems

2007-05-04T01:54:00.000-04:00

By NOAH BLUNDO
The Times-Reporter

BOLIVAR - Tuscarawas County commissioners Thursday officially retained the Canton law firm of Black, McCuskey, Souers & Arbaugh for their appeal of orders from the Ohio EPA regarding odor and heat problems at Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility.

Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Director Chris Korleski’s orders detail measures the East Sparta landfill must take, including paying more than $1 million in fines, working to suppress odors and submitting a plan to put out a fire the EPA believes is burning under the landfill. Countywide officials have said they will comply with the orders, though they dispute the presence of a fire....Read more.

Continue the fight

2007-05-03T10:03:00.000-04:00

The Times-Reporter

BOLIVAR - We support the decision by Tuscarawas County commissioners to appeal decisions made by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency about the Countywide Landfill near Bolivar.

Ohio EPA Director Chris Korleski issued several orders on March 28 aimed at resolving numerous problems at the landfill, including the terrible smell coming from it that has plagued residents in northern Tuscarawas County and southern Stark County for quite some time. Officials also are concerned about underground fires at the facility....Read more.

Commissioners appeal EPA orders - Tuscarawas County officials vow to go it alone in landfill controversy

2007-05-02T13:29:00.000-04:00

By LEE MORRISON
The Times-Reporter

BOLIVAR - Vowing not to abandon residents of the northern part of the county, Tuscarawas County commissioners are appealing decisions regarding Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility.

The appeal involves orders issued March 28 by Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Director Chris Korleski. The agreement with Countywide calls for the landfill to pay more than $1 million in fines and follow strict orders to abate its odor issue and stop its underground fires. Countywide’s parent company, Republic Waste Services, has 60 days to submit a plan to snuff out underground fires at the landfill. The plan must be approved by the OEPA....Read more.