Meeting on landfill set
Published 9:32 pm Monday, July 31, 2017
A community meeting is set for Wednesday regarding the proposed expansion of the Southeastern Public Service Authority’s regional landfill located in Suffolk.
The meeting will take place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Mack Benn Jr. Elementary School, 1253 Nansemond Parkway.
Vice Mayor Leroy Bennett, who represents the area affected by the landfill, said he requested the meeting to take place.
“I want the people in the area to be aware of the expansion of the landfill and what affect it might have on the community in later years to come or after 2018,” Bennett said. “I want the people that’s been asking me questions about it to be able to come out and voice their concerns.”
Conditional use permit and rezoning requests that would allow construction of an additional cell at the landfill are expected to be considered by City Council at its Aug. 16 meeting. While municipal solid waste currently is not dumped at the landfill, it is likely the landfill will become the main disposal method for the authority again beginning in January, when the authority’s current contracts with its eight member localities expire and it switches to a new disposal method.
The new disposal method, a proposal that would turn the trash into energy pellets, is behind schedule and may not yet be available come January.
Bennett said some people in the community are concerned about odor with municipal solid waste is dumped at the landfill again.
“I know we have had some problems some time back with odor from the landfill, and they were saying then they didn’t want to see the landfill expanded,” Bennett said. “That will give them a chance to find out what the plans are for the landfill.”