Seneca Meadows, owned by multi-billion dollar corporation Waste Connections, is the largest landfill in New York State. More than 12 million pounds of waste arrive each day, the equivalent of waste from 4 million people, although fewer than 9,000 people live in its location of Seneca Falls. More than 99.5% of the waste is imported from the Northeast or Canada, making this historic region a dumping ground for other people’s trash. This puts the region’s physical and economic health at risk, as the neighboring communities smell strong and potentially dangerous odors, face stagnant property values, and run the risk of contamination to the Cayuga Lake watershed. Further, every school in both the Seneca Falls and Waterloo school districts is within three miles of the landfill, and the health implications for our children won't be known for decades.

Seneca Meadows has applied for a Part 360 Solid Waste Management Renewal and Modification Application with the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which, if approved, permits the landfill to operate for another 10 years. Although the landfill is not seeking a tonnage increase, Waste Connections' actions – such as purchasing more than 500 acres on the opposite side of Route 414 and doubling tonnage at their other landfills – suggest that the corporation does not intend to close its landfilling operation anytime soon despite nearing its capacity.

The DEC is hosting public hearings about the permit extension at 3 and 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 10 at the Douglas Avery Performing Arts Center at Mynderse Academy, 105 Troy St., Seneca Falls. This petition will be sent as a written comment to the DEC on Aug. 18. Please sign this petition urging the DEC to reject this permit renewal or to review Seneca Meadow’s operation on a yearly basis. By doing so, you create a healthy, trash-free future for this historic region and its citizens. Thank you.