Northville Township residents push back on proposed landfill expansion
A proposed landfill expansion in Washtenaw County is getting pushback from those on the other side of the county line.
Northville Township residents are expressing concerns about the Arbor Hills Landfill in Salem Township.
These residents say they're concerned about how the Arbor Hills Landfill already operates, so they're pushing back on its proposed expansion.
"It's difficult for us to trust and believe what's being told to us by GFL. Actions speak louder than words, and the actions in the past have produced pollution," said Northville Township resident Karen Kilar.
The landfill sits just west of Northville Township, and residents there say it remains an issue, even when they're told it won't be.
"Those homes are so close to that landfill, and there are more homes close to that proposed landfill," said Northville Township resident Leslie Evans.
"I was told by the realtor that the landfill was capped at a certain height, which was true, and now it's twice as tall because an expansion got approved," said Northville Township resident Trisha Kunst.
Many of these residents say that living so close to the landfill makes them distrust the promises made by Arbor Hills and GFL.
"There needs to be third-party examination if they are in compliance with all the requirements, and also whether we need to do this, which there seems to be a lot of evidence that we don't," said Northville Township resident Leah Michels.
GFL is proposing to expand north of Six Mile Road as county leaders consider the balance between the need for more landfill space and reducing the amount of materials going into it.
"We started this whole conversation with how do we reduce the amount of waste, but the bottom line is there's going to be some waste that's got to go to a landfill. So, the question is, where does that go?" Said Washtenaw County Materials Management Planning Committee Chair Joe Ohren.
No decisions were made at Wednesday's meeting, but there will be further discussions on how to collect revenue from the landfill over the next couple of months, ahead of a Nov. 18 meeting.
