Odors from the Arbor Hills Landfill are increasing, and little is being done. The Conservancy Initiative believes the perimeter monitors located on the eastern border of the Arbor Hills landfill should be used as the basis for violations and penalties. Polluters must be held responsible; Green for Life must not be rewarded with permission to build a new landfill adjacent to the problematic Arbor Hills Landfill. NO NEW LANDFILL.
Persistent odors from the Arbor Hills Landfill eventually led the Michigan Attorney General to bring a lawsuit against the landfill owners in 2020. The lawsuit was settled with a Consent Judgment between the EGLE and the Arbor Hills Landfill in 2022 and included environmentally beneficial projects and fines of more than $2.3 million. The enforcement actions sought to require Arbor Hills to abate the nuisance odor issues and operate the landfill in compliance with State and Federal regulations (Attorney General Press Release, March 10, 2022).
The Enforcement Action has Failed to Meet its Objectives.
Community Odor complaints about Arbor Hills have increased since the enforcement settlement. (see chart).
There have been more than 3,300 complaints since March 2022, averaging more than 90 complaints per month.
Although it was not a stated goal of the enforcement action, the landfill owner, Green for Life, and the host community, Salem Township, have made zero attempts to improve their relationship with their neighbors downwind.
The landfill perimeter monitors work but have not met their goal of preventing nuisance odors.
Landfill odors have increased since the Attorney General’s Settlement
There have been more than 3,300 odor complaints caused by the Arbor Hills Landfill since March 2022.
Regulations Must include Penalties to Require Polluters Pay
The Attorney General’s settlement required Green for Life to install six monitoring stations to detect Methane (CH4) and Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) emissions as they leave the landfill headed toward Northville township neighborhoods. The system works; nuisance odors and odor complaints increase when emissions increase. When emissions are near zero, no odors are present.
Here are some recent examples:
The problem is that the Consent Order has no teeth to impose aggressive penalties to require Green for Life to pay for its excess emissions. In January, the perimeter monitors consistently showed concentrations above the action levels in the Consent Order. Green for Life and EGLE's actions were disappointing.
Green for Life requested a 120-day extension to take the actions they believe are necessary to correct the excess emissions and odors. <Green for Life Extension Request>, <EGLE approves extension>. The extension is allowed by the Consent Order meaning periodic odors may continue until mid-May when Green for Life is required to complete corrective actions. Residents in the nearby neighborhoods deserve better! The landfill operator must be accountable for the excess emissions and nuisance odors. POLLUTERS MUST PAY.
NO NEW LANDFILL