Environmental advocates have sent a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul calling on her to get serious about a zero-waste strategy in New York.
A good start would be to make sure the Seneca Meadows Landfill in Seneca Falls is shut down on schedule in 2025 per a local ordinance, said Eric Goldstein with the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the many organizations that signed on to the letter.
``New York State and New York City are still overly reliant on landfills and incinerators to deal with our solid waste problem,” Goldstein said. “And the environmental and health issues that are created by these policies of landfilling and incineration are numerous. There is a better way to handle our waste— a way that will have less pollution and create a circular economy, emphasizing waste prevention, composting, recycling, zero waste, and green jobs.”
The environmental groups have long opposed the landfill, citing toxic chemicals in its wastewater discharge and a putrid smell.
Waste Connections owns and operates Seneca Meadows. District manager Kyle Black defended the company and landfill in a statement.
Black said that the group’s letter to the governor was “full of misinformation” and that the landfill’s know and respect the work the company does. It goes “above and beyond to exceed each environmental standard set by regulators,” provides significant revenue to Seneca Falls, and makes local charitable donations, he added.
“We will continue our focus on making sure Seneca Meadows is a cutting-edge model facility and leave the hyperbole to the advocates,” Black said. “Our role in the community and the role we play in the local economy is too important to be distracted by obstructionists.”
