Officials release plan for NJ landfill, which has been extra repulsive

⚪ Update given on handling NJ stinky landfill

⚪ Materials expected in March, installed by May

⚪ Operators say wet winter weather is a problem

Residents in Tinton Falls have been gagging over foul smells from a local landfill all winter. Now Monmouth County is assuring them that a plan is underway.

Monmouth County Commissioner Director Tom Arnone signed an update issued on Wednesday, outlining expected accomplishments over the next three months.

He said the commissioners have already introduced a $20 million capital ordinance to address costs of the work.

John Hambrose, regional spokesman for Waste Management, or WM, previously said frequent rain causes a landfill’s soil cover to move, making it easier for gas to escape — while also accelerating the site's production of gas.

See also: RESIDENTS FRUSTRATED BY STENCH FROM MONMOUTH LANDFILL

Through the month of March, material and supply orders were expected to be placed and then arrive, while eight more surface wells for gas collection would be built and all surface wells “tied” together, according to Monmouth County and Waste Management.

Meeting with the state Department of Environmental Protection to talk over the plan was also part of the 30-day response.

Work was expected to really get underway in April, including the installation of a temporary cap and 21 more vertical wells, to trap and contain gas emissions.

Complete upgrades for gas collection at the dump were expected to be done by the end of May, according to the timeline, as seen below.

Monmouth County landfill 90-day plan (Goal: May 29)

◼ Complete upgrades on the two flares
◼ Complete the 21 vertical (gas collection) wells
◼ Complete the temporary cap
◼ Continue daily odor-related inspections

Arnone cautioned that further delays could not be ruled out.

“These plans are contingent upon weather conditions and supply chain disruptions. Please know we are making every effort to complete these plans in a timely manner,” the update added.

This is far from the first time that NJ residents have dealt with the awful stench of a landfill, amid a wet winter.

Florence hit with odor, blamed on Tullytown landfill

A full decade ago, there were similar issues reported in Burlington County, as residents of Florence struggled with such odors in winter 2014.

Waste Management pointed across state lines, to the Tullytown dump in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Burlington County Times reported that the installation of 20 new wells to collect gas created by decomposition at the site in PA had to wait until spring.

In that case, a $2 million settlement was reached in 2016, also reported by Burlington County Times, with residents of both NJ and PA, who had filed a class action lawsuit over the stench.

The seasonal issue has lingered for Florence residents, too, according to Philly.com in winter 2019.

Fenimore Landfill in Roxbury

There have also been years-worth of messy landfill issues in Morris County.

Fenimore Landfill in Roxbury was a solid waste landfill, previously closed but then reopened in 2011 to dump construction and demolition waste.

Nearby residents complained of violently strong odors caused by gas emanating from the landfill.

Years of struggle ensued, with local residents and activists fighting to have the issue dealt with properly.

As an off-shoot problem — charges filed against a contractor hired to clean up the Fenimore site. 

Some were dismissed and then reinstated, according to the Bergen Record.

A Roxbury update in 2021 said that the DEP had been operating gas collection and monitoring the impermeable cap that was eventually installed at Fenimore.

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