SALEM TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — Citizens and local leaders will gather in Northville Township on Monday night for a town hall regarding a possible expansion of a landfill in Washtenaw County.
The site also borders Wayne County, where many homes are located. I'm raising the voices of many people who are concerned about the long-term impact.
The noise of trucks and odor are just two things a watchdog group is complaining about. They say they don’t want another landfill across the street.
“I do have a hard time with the smell," Allison Subotich, who lives near the Arbor Hills Landfill in Salem Township, said.
GFL Environmental is asking to expand their current landfill due to five to seven years of storage space being left on the existing site.
Watch below: Northville Twp. seeks temporary restraining order against landfill over pollution
“The trucks are difficult. In the morning, going to work and coming back, the noises and everything," Subotich said.
“Were faced with a once-in-a-generation decision of what to do, for the future. Do we want a landfill for the next several generations?” David Drinan said. “There’s probably better places for it. Away from population centers.”
Drinan also opposes the potential of a new landfill across the street from the existing site on Napier Rd. between 5 Mile and 6 Mile.
Salem Township officials say a proposal would utilize 240 acres across the street that's owned by GFL, and GFL has paid fines for prior violations that involved PFAS, but now, they are in full compliance.
Right now, it's not known how soon a decision could be made.
“How would you feel about another landfill going there?" I asked Subotich.
"What worries me is more trucks and smells coming from there," she said.
“How do you hope to put a stop to it?" I asked Drinan.
"By influencing people who make the decisions, which will be in Washtenaw County," he responded.
We reached out to a spokesperson for GFL Environmental and are still awaiting a response.
