Ohio EPA and Republic Settle Over Countywide Landfill

Date: March 29, 2007

Source: News Room

The Ohio EPA and Republic Services have settled their differences over the Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility in northeast Ohio's Stark County. Under the agreement, Republic will comply with state orders to mitigate landfill odors stemming from what some thought to be an underground fire and will pay about $1 million in fines and other costs. Republic will also close the 88-acre area where the problems occurred. This represents about a third of the 258-acre (5,000 tons per day) site and translates into a loss of about 7-years' worth of capacity or 15.5 million cubic yards of currently permitted airspace. That leaves them with about 25 years of capacity in the new area. Republic spokesman Will Flower said that the odors which have decreased in recent weeks, are most likely the result of a chemical reaction resulting from aluminum dross dumped at the site from 1993 to 2001. "Both Countywide and the Ohio EPA want to get this issue resolved for the benefit of the environment and the community," he said. It is up to the Stark County Health Department to make a final decision on the landfill's 2007 operating license. Republic acquired the site from Waste Management in 1999 as part of that company's required divestitures in its merger with USA Waste.

For more information, visit:
The Ohio EPA: www.epa.state.oh.us.
Republic Services, Inc.: www.repsrv.com.

Sign up to receive our free Weekly News Bulletin