Dive Brief:

• The Planning Board in Seneca Falls, New York is at an impasse regarding the collection of trash from other areas brought to the local landfill by rail.
• The rail project received preliminary site-plan approval and has been granted a zoning change from commercial to industrial. Several small changes to the original agreement were addressed, including the mandate that some tracks will be removed from the area once the landfill closes, while other tracks will remain to be used for an economic development project.
• The vote about proposed waste being carried to the Seneca Meadows landfill by train is deadlocked, and lawyers must decide on the next steps.

Dive Insight:

Issues surrounding the railway system has put local residents at odds with those operating the landfill. Concerns include a suspected extension of the closure date of the landfill, currently slated for 2023. Other points of contention include the larger volume of trash anticipated and an increase in noise pollution caused by the growing frequency of transport. At the other end of the battle is the increased revenue that more waste will bring and the reduction of greenhouse emission being released into the atmosphere by trucks.