Some of the last remaining residents of a west Dayton neighborhood next to a controversial landfill are outraged the facility wants to expand its operations and footprint.
Waste Management, which owns the landfill at 2460 S. Gettysburg Ave., has asked the city to rezone some adjacent land so it can extract soil to use as trash cover. Currently, it is trucking in soil to cover the landfill.
The life expectancy of the landfill when it opened in the mid-1990s was 11 to 12 years. But it never reached capacity and twice it has been given permission to expand. Last year, Stony Hollow was granted authorization to increase the landfill’s solid waste capacity vertically, which extended its life expectancy another 16 to 18 years.
The Dayton Plan Board earlier this month held a public hearing about the request to rezone 29 acres south of the landfill to light industrial from suburban residential.
Local residents said they are furious and say the city has bent over backward for the landfill. They are upset over broken promises, noise levels, offensive smells, dust and diminishing property values. However, even some critics agree Waste Management has taken steps to try to reduce problems, such as dust and noise, and makes contributions to local community organizations.
