Dive Brief:

• Odor emitting from a Tullytown, Pennsylvania landfill is prompting a threat of legal action from residents living in the nearby community of Florence, NJ. 
• The potential of a class action lawsuit has the owners Tullytown site scrambling to make concessions to eliminate the offending smell.
• Waste Management has provided an outline of the numerous steps it has taken in recent weeks to curb the olfactory issues. WM hopes the improvements show a good faith effort, but acknowledges that additional measures may be necessary to fully eradicate the odors.

Dive Insight:

John Hambrose, the spokesperson for Waste Management in eastern Pennsylvania, summarized steps the company has taken in an attempt to appease the community. He stated that the volume of waste accepted at the site was reduced by 20%; sewage sludge was decreased by 66%; the transportation route for delivery of the sewage was altered; and the sludge schedule was changed. In addition, a weather station used to monitor wind direction, temperatures, and barometric pressure will be installed in Florence, NJ, whose readings will be used to determine the best actions to take when it comes to odor control.

Hambrose urged the residents to hold off on filing a suit, as this action would “interfere” with the ongoing communications efforts. “Litigation will do nothing but hamper direct dialogue and the progress it can produce,” he said.

To date, no lawsuit has been filed against the site, but residents did voice their concerns to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). DEP has now opened an investigation into the matter and issued a notice of violation for creating a public nuisance.