A major environmental fight is unfolding in New York over the future of the Seneca Meadows Landfill in Seneca Falls — the largest landfill in the state.
The landfill, originally expected to close in 2025, is now seeking state approval to remain open and expand operations through 2040. For environmental advocates, the proposal is about far more than one community. They argue it is a test of whether New York will continue relying on mega-landfills or move toward a different model of waste management.
To discuss the issue, Radio Catskill’s Patricio Robayo spoke with Yvonne Taylor, vice president of Seneca Lake Guardian.
Taylor described Seneca Meadows as a massive facility that already takes in about 6,000 tons of waste a day from 47 counties in New York, along with trash from other states and Canada. If approved, she said, the landfill would grow another seven stories higher and expand by 47 acres — becoming even more dominant over the surrounding landscape.
“This is already an enormous mountain of garbage,” Taylor said. “The proposal would make it even bigger, even taller, and keep it operating for another 15 years.”
For people living nearby, Taylor said the impacts are immediate and constant. Residents have long complained about overpowering odors, and she said schools located within a few miles of the landfill are sometimes forced to deal with the smell both outside and inside classrooms. She said families, teachers and students have reported headaches, nausea and difficulty concentrating.
But Taylor said the concerns do not stop at Seneca Falls.
She pointed to the landfill’s production of leachate — contaminated liquid created when rainwater filters through garbage. That leachate can contain PFAS, often called “forever chemicals,” along with other pollutants. According to Taylor, millions of gallons are shipped to wastewater treatment plants around New York, even though those facilities are not designed to remove many of those contaminants.
“This waste doesn’t just stay in one place,” Taylor said. “It moves through communities and into waterways across the state.”
She also argued the landfill’s methane emissions make it a broader climate issue. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and Taylor said large landfills like Seneca Meadows undermine New York’s climate goals while prolonging dependence on a throwaway waste system.
The proposed expansion is now being reviewed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation through the state environmental review process. Taylor said the agency has sent the application back for more information multiple times, but a final public comment period has still not yet begun.
When it does, advocates expect the fight to intensify.
Taylor said opponents want the landfill to close when it reaches capacity, not be allowed to expand again. She argues New York already has the framework for a different path, pointing to the state’s solid waste management plan, which calls for stronger recycling, waste diversion and a move toward a more circular economy.
“This is really a question about what kind of future New York wants,” Taylor said. “Do we keep expanding mega-landfills, or do we finally start reducing the waste stream and building a better system?”
Agree 100% with Ms Taylor! We need to close this site as was planned & come up with better alternatives that will not contribute to polluting our environment and our Finger Lakes. Other communities around the state & country have been using different technologies, specifically combustion, where energy can be recovered, and burn-off is scrubbed reducing air pollution emissions. People also need to be better informed about how to reduce the amount of waste they produce. We all need to do better & be good stewards of our lands.
There’s some good information on the EPA website: Energy Recovery from the Combustion of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW).
Simple close the dump
I am not going to comment on continue or close the dump. I Ask, What are the Alternatives? A thought provoking article that leads nowhere. Recycling, which never really worked, died with covid. We are lucky to recycle cardboard now. The amount of plastic bottles sold daily in the form of soda is staggering. None of that plastic is recycled. We pay $0.05 cents for a ‘recycling’ deposit but that has just become another form of taxation. What happened to reusable glass bottles? They would get cleaned and reused. The same trucks that deliver the plastic bottle sodas could back haul the empty glass bottles to the factory for literal reuse. We are getting better at not taking bags at the grocery store for the short trip home and then never using the bags again. Mostly paper now, not plastic – we have made some progress. Why do we need to buy deli meat in vacuum packed plastic containers when the deli can slice it and wrap it in paper and hand it to you. Oh wait, lets put that paper wrapped meat and cheese in a little plastic bag just in case it leaks on the seat of our $60k car that lasts 4-7 years before we throw it away. Lets take small bites every year until we fix the problem. I would start with the easy fixes like loosing the plastic soda bottles for reusable glass. Until then what do you do with the 1,560,000 tons of annual garbage just going to Seneca? (52 weeks x 5 days x 6000 tons) (for those of you keeping track)……By the way there are 2600 active and more than 10,000 closed landfills in the USA according to the EPA.