Dive Brief:

• After years of problems with operations at a landfill near Tecumseh, OK, the state’s Department of Environmental Quality has shut down the site.
• Problems with the landfill, which is owned by Applied Waste Solutions Inc., have included rotting animals and fires. Ryan Leonard, an attorney for the landfill owner, said the firm is working to fix the problems. "The difficulties at the landfill came as a direct result of prior management," Leonard said to The Duncan Banner.
• State regulators shut down the landfill in May. After Applied Waste Solutions takes care of all the issues and gets approval from the state, it can re-open, said Patrick Riley, an environmental programs manager for the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality.

Dive Insight:

Problems at the Tecumseh-area landfill over the years have included leaking leachate and exposed animal carcasses. The landfill also has had fires three or more times in the past few years. Though the city of Tecumseh once disposed of waste at the landfill, it hasn’t done so for at least two years, Tecumseh City Manager Jimmy Stokes said.