Countywide landfill stinks, residents get no relief

In today's Akron Beacon Journal, Bob Downing has yet another story on the notorious Stark landfill known as Countywide. I've discussed it on more than one occasion over the course of the past year. (Check here and here and here.)

In this latest story, residents continue to complain about the stench from this landfill -- only this time workers were not drilling or shifting garbage around, activities that generally produce additional odors. So what is causing the problem?

The article gives no clear reason, and officials have no answers. However, this passage is ominous:

[EPA Staffer] Princic also reported that the company has installed four special wells to remove excessive liquids from the landfill, although it will take several months to determine if that step will help solve the problems.

The company is having problems getting the pumps to work because of the corrosive nature of the leachate or liquid, he said.

That must be really nasty stuff down there peculating beneath the trash -- so nasty it eats away at the pumping equipment!

But odors may be the least of the problems for persons unlucky enough to be living near this toxic site:

The company has also submitted a proposed plan on dealing with airborne toxic chemicals including dioxins and furans, both cancer-causing pollutants, and the Ohio EPA is reviewing those plans, he said.

The EPA is also continuing to investigate how solid waste and liquid came to be outside the lined area on the landfill's southern slope, he said.

I have to wonder -- is Countywide representative of the typical US landfill? If so, how much longer can the human race survive as it continues to pollute its habitat?

More Problems at Countywide Landfill

The Akron Beacon Journal's excellent environmental reporter Bob Downing gives us the low down on the latest violations at Countywide landfill in Stark County. (Much of Summit County's trash ends up there.) Buried trash was found outside the permitted area, and not only that:

The EPA said the trash was ''black, appeared to have been charred and was saturated with black liquid.''

The material was ''warm to the touch, steaming and emitted a strong smoldering smell,'' the agency said."

This is the same landfill that has been under investigation for suspected underground toxic fires. No matter the violation and all the threats of closing it down, the landfill continues to operate -- because what do we do with all the trash if it is shut down?

Our training as good little mindless consumers in a free market capitalistic society has encouraged us not to think about landfills. Leave that to the people who take up careers in "solid-waste management." What a term! It makes the entire process sound so normal and efficient.

The problem, of course, is that the materials that end up in landfills break down into noxious liquids that will eventually eat through the man-made lining that is supposed to keep the trash from leaching into the ground and the surrounding water tables. But out of sight -- out of mind. That is the way we deal with trash. (See The Story of Stuff in yesterday's post, paying special attention to Chapter 6.)

Perhaps we all need to take a field trip to our local landfill and sniff the air. Observe the endless line of trucks dumping tons of waste day after day. And then focus on more than "managing" the waste.

New Year's Revolutions

I don't know that resolutions are going to do it. If we want to turn climate change around we need a few revolutions:

1. Achieve clean green energy, and transportation both individual and public forms.

2. Ignite a massive effort to recycle more and use the toxic landfills less.

3. Invent and use alternatives to plastic.

4. Begin a major transformation from a consumer society motivated by convenience to one that is a conserving society motivated by a sense of fairness rather than greed.

These huge transformations must be fueled by our day to day actions. I can't invent a car that runs on compressed air, but I can save up so that when one arrives on the market, I can purchase it.

Made a resolution that helps you feel like you are participating in the revolution. I've been shopping with cloth bags since the fall of 2006. It wasn't easy at first, but I eventually realized that more reusable bags stashed in the vehicle makes it very easy not to forget to shop with them. Another tip is to hang the bags, once emptied, on the door handle so you don't forget to take them back out to your car.

I reached a milestone this week. I used up the last saved blue plastic bag for recyclables from my pre-cloth shopping bag days. I still have a huge stock of white (and other shades) plastic shopping bags.

There are some folks who are blogging their personal trash challenges. Fake Plastic Fish is the place to visit if you want expert advice on how to avoid plastic in your life. 365 Days of Trash is a blog for recording and collecting one man's trash for a year. He's going to stash it in his basement so he can come to grips with how much trash he is producing. Crunchy Chicken is working on a project to help us all get rid of personal waste, ie: excess weight and the propensity toward over-eating. You can join in Project Waste here. No Impact Man, the one and only, has finished his year long stint making no impact on the environment, but his blog continues and is an excellent resource on how to decrease your impact on the planet.

I don't have a focused trash project like those above, but I am working to be more mindful of what I consume and what I throw away. The goal is to develop habits that produce less waste and to make purchases that take packaging into consideration.

What are your personal climate control goals for 2008?