Pennsylvania DEP grants approval
By:Vanessa S. Holt
FLORENCE The Tullytown, Pa. landfill across the Delaware River from Florence Township received permission Friday to increase its hours and capacity for two weeks in order to accept New York City’s municipal trash. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection granted approval for Waste Management, Inc., which operates the Tullytown landfill, to temporarily amend its permit, said Thomas Sahol, assistant township business administrator here. For the next two weeks, the landfill can run a 24-hour operation, instead of its normal hours of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Landfill officials discussed the temporary changes with Florence Township before contacting the DEP because of an agreement with the township that they would keep Florence informed of any changes at the facility.
A 14-member landfill committee was formed in January to facilitate communication between residents and two nearby landfills.
"What we need to get out to the residents in Florence Township is the information that Waste Management has the consent of the Pennsylvania DEP and Florence Township to temporarily expand operations to help alleviate safety and health concerns in New York City," said Mr. Sahol. "They have indicated to us that due to road and tunnel closures in New York, transfer stations for municipal waste in the area are so inundated that they are coming south," he said.
Municipal solid waste from New York needed to be moved into landfills as quickly as possible due to health and safety concerns, he said.
"Please understand this is not the debris from the disaster itself," Mr. Sahol said.
Only household and commercial waste is being transported to landfills outside of the New York area, said Waste Management’s spokeswoman Judy Archibald.
The landfill went back to its normal hours of operation on Monday and did not need to stay open on Sunday, a day it is normally closed, said Ms. Archibald.

