Seneca Falls, N.Y. — For much of last year, many signs pointed to a major decision on the future of New York state’s largest landfill coming on or before a deadline of Dec. 31.
Yet almost two weeks into the new year, the fate of Seneca Meadows Landfill remains uncertain.
For now, the massive landfill continues to operate as it has for decades along Route 414 in Seneca Falls, not far from state Thruway Exit 41.
It looms over the Finger Lakes landscape, covering 350 acres and rising about 300 feet above ground level. That makes it one of Upstate New York’s tallest man-made structures. Most of its garbage is trucked in from New York City.
The question now is whether the landfill will be forced to close or allowed to remain open and grow even larger. That will depend primarily on decisions now under review by the state’s Court of Appeals and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Two contradictory situations are in play.
One is a 2016 Seneca Falls town law that required the landfill to close on Dec. 31, 2025. The landfill operator, Texas-based Waste Connections, lost a legal challenge seeking to block that law early last year. But that decision was reversed by the state Court of Appeals in December.
That means the courts are still wrestling with the question of whether the closing order is valid. There is currently no timetable for that decision.
The other issue is a 2022 application by the landfill owner to keep operating and expand in size. That expansion, called the “valley infill,” would create 47 acres of new space for garbage by filling in the area between two of the large existing hills created by old waste.
The valley infill could increase the height of the tallest portion of the landfill by about 70 feet, or to roughly the equivalent of a 35-story building. It could also keep the landfill operating until at least 2040.
Without the expansion, the landfill could be forced to close when it runs out of existing space.
The application for the expansion has been under review for three years, and the DEC has extended the deadline several times as the landfill operator has modified the plan.
Trucks rotate in and out of the Seneca Meadows landfill in Seneca Falls, N.Y., Monday, January 27, 2025. (N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com)N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com
Following the most recent changes to the application made by Waste Connections late last year, the timetable has been extended again. The current extension runs at least through Jan. 19, a DEC spokesperson said.
All this is further complicated by a Seneca Falls town resolution approved last year that created a new 15-year operating permit for the landfill. That would go into effect if the expansion is approved and the landfill continues to operate.
“We’ve been waiting (for a resolution) on this for three years,” said Yvonne Taylor of Seneca Lake Guardian, an environmental activist group that opposes the landfill’s continued operation. “And we’re still waiting.”
Kyle Black, Waste Connections’ district manager for Seneca Meadows, told syracuse.com the company is “still waiting” for a resolution to the court case and the DEC decision.
A landfill on the Seneca Meadows site dates back to the 1950s. Waste Connections took it over in the 1980s.
A view of Seneca Meadows, New York State’s largest landfill in Seneca Falls near the Town of Waterloo. (Lauren Long | llong@syracuse.com)Lauren Long | llong@syracuse.com
The landfill provides 160 local jobs and makes payments that support the Seneca Falls town budget. Landfill management contends it has always operated within state guidelines and meets environmental standards.
The new town host agreement that would accompany a new operating permit calls for payments of $150 million over the next 15 years and sets new procedures, such as a complaint process and pollution control system.
During a public hearing on that issue last January, the majority of speakers opposed the extension of the landfill permit.
Seneca Lake Guardian, meanwhile, recently released the results of a survey that it says shows local residents are concerned about “quality of life impacts” related to the landfill.
A view of Seneca Meadows, New York State’s largest landfill in Seneca Falls near the Town of Waterloo. (Lauren Long | llong@syracuse.com)Lauren Long | llong@syracuse.com
The survey of more than 700 local residents “reveals widespread concern and suggests serious threats to public health, economic activity, environmental quality, and community well-being in the Finger Lakes region.”
The environmental group also contends the landfill is “likely the state’s largest single point source of methane.”
Among other findings, the survey results showed many respondents are unhappy with odors and other issues, especially with several schools located nearby.
“I keep getting messages from people who say the odors are permeating the schools,” said Taylor of Seneca Lake Guardian. “We are all wondering what happens next.”