Dive Brief:

• Republic Services’ plan to use a 60 mil liner in their proposed expansion of the Carleton Farms Landfill in Wayne County, MI has one county commissioner worried about the safety of the material. "The service life of the liner is a real concern of mine," commissioner Tim Killeen said. "I am not in favor of changing what we have out there."
• The enlargement of Carleton Farms Landfill is estimated to cost in the neighborhood of $1 million more if the 80 mil liner is used. The landfill is owned by Republic Services. The company currently uses an 80 mil liner at the landfill, but Republic Services representative J. Kevin Kendall told commissioners he believed there was no greater risk in using the thinner liner. The state currently requires a 60 mil.
• "Republic is a $9 billion company. We’re not going to do anything to jeopardize the environment," Kendall said.

Dive Insight:

The landfill in question is situated close the 1,000-acre Crosswinds Marsh, a reconstructed marsh. That proximity alarmed Commissioner Killeen, who questioned the possibility of a leak fouling the wetlands. Killeen also said all systems fail over time.