Dive Brief:
- Residents living near the Bridgeton landfill in Bridgeton, MO filed 14 more lawsuits against the site’s owner, Republic Services, for damages.
- The suit stems from the underground fire smoldering at the landfill. Residents have been complaining of a foul odor emanating form the site for the past three years as a consequence of the burning.
- Plaintiffs in the new lawsuits rejected a settlement offer of $26,250 per household -- a total of $6.8 million -- resulting from a class action lawsuit against the landfill owners. 75% of the residents awarded the settlement accepted it.
Dive Insight:
According to the terms of the settlement, those that accepted the offer would no longer have the ability to sue Republic Services if the odors worsened in the future. The smell is expected to get stronger as crews begin construction work at the site.
A barrier is being built to separate the Bridgeton landfill from the neighboring West Lake landfill, which contains buried nuclear waste. If ignited, the radioactive materials at the West Lake site have the potential to create additional problems for the community and the environment.
