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Who We Are - EPRFootprint.org
My Vision
My name is Magnus and I am a Junior at Skaneateles High School in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State.
Living in this area has exposed me to a common sight – large tractor trailer trucks hauling garbage from New York City, Ohio, PA and other areas to dump in two nearby landfills, the Ontario County Landfill in the Town of Seneca, NY and the Seneca Meadows Landfill in Waterloo, NY. In fact, about 200 trucks come to the facilities each day.
For some background, The Finger Lakes Region of New York is comprised of 11 glacial lakes, one of which is Skaneateles Lake, the second cleanest lake in the country, and the lake that I live near. The area is supported by agri-tourism and is visited by those seeking smalltown living on clean waters. The region is home to almost 150 wineries and 11,000 acres of vineyards and produces about 54,600 tons of grapes. It is home to more than 70 craft breweries, 17 apple orchards, and 15 family-owned dairy farms making up the Finger Lakes Cheese Trail. These businesses rely on clean water, fresh air and tourism, and a dump in their backyard threatens all of this.
This is not only an economic problem, it is also an environmental catastrophe. Our communities are being overrun by waste, and much of it can be managed through an effective Extended Producer Responsibility program.
Waste is dumped at the Ontario County Landfill in Seneca, NY
According to 13 WHAM News, Geneva Town Supervisor Mark Venuti said "several years ago, they dug up hundreds of thousands of tons of petroleum, contaminants, contaminated soil from a place outside of Utica (NY), and trucked it up here and put it on our landfill".
"We've got a huge pile up there — contaminated soil, asbestos, thousands of tons of asbestos (that was) allowed to be dumped in the trash," he added.
In December, 2024, The Ontario County Board of Supervisors approved two resolutions related to the Ontario County Landfill. One was to close the dump at the end of 2028, when the operations and management lease expires. The second directs the local Department of Sustainability and Solid Waste Management to identify viable methods with an emphasis on waste diversion and advancing sustainability.
Seneca Meadows Inc.’s (SMI) plans to expand in Waterloo, NY
Accoding to the FingerLakesDailyNews.com, Seneca Meadows is due to shut down next year, however its operator Waste Connections has applied for a permit to continue through 2040, including an expansion. The final decision on the landfill is up to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
The FLTimes.com says that the SMI landfill is the largest in the state, accepting up to 6,000 tons of waste a day. The owner of the landfill, Waste Connections of Texas, has a state operating permit that expires Dec. 31, 2025.
More than 500 businesses sent a letter to the Governor of New York State, asking Hochul to oppose the expansion plans, the signers say the proposed expansion “is shocking and unacceptable and should not happen on your watch.” The letter says the 10-year New York State Solid Waste Management Plan maps out a path to prioritize more sustainable waste-management practices and emphasizes reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators,
making them a last resort.