Dive Brief:
- Residents of Levittown, PA and Florence, NJ have decided to file a lawsuit against Waste Management due to noxious odors allegedly emitting from the Tullytown landfill in Pennsylvania.
- Attorneys representing the residents are pushing for class-action status. They estimate that thousands haven been affected by the smells, but a judge must first grant the case certification as a class action suit.
- Plaintiffs are seeking punitive damages, compensation including lawyers’ fees, and an injunction that would require Waste Management to modify the site.
Dive Insight:
The lawsuit claims the smell originating at the landfill prevents residents from going outside, restricts their rights as property owners to use their yards, and diminishes property values.
In November, a Waste Management official said that the landfill underwent a series of improvements after it received a notice of violation from the Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection.
