GFL's claim
GFL has provided the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners with an information packet claiming they have been a leader in PFAS leachate treatment since 2021. During their February 18th presentation to the Board, GFL went on to tout environmental compliance improvements and highlighted their efforts to control and remediate PFAS.
Reality
What GFL did not say is that their leachate treatment process is currently out of compliance with their leachate discharge permit, and YCUA has recently issued multiple Violation Notices.
Leachate is the liquid that percolates through the landfill, absorbing PFAS, heavy metals, and other contaminants. It collects at the bottom of the landfill. At Arbor Hills, approximately 100,000 gallons of highly contaminated leachate per day is discharged into Northville Township's sanitary sewer system for treatment and disposal at the Ypsilanti Community Utility Authority (YCUA) treatment plant.
GFL received a new leachate discharge permit from YCUA in July 2026. This was the first permit to contain specific limits on PFAS concentrations and included tighter limits on arsenic concentrations. The new limits were expected, yet GFL is failing to consistently meet them. As a result, YCUA issued Notices of Violation for PFAS (PFOS and PFOA) and arsenic exceedances on November 11, 2025, and January 30, 2026.
GFL requested YCUA for an Administrative Consent Order to buy time to "study" the shortcomings and adjust its treatment system. That Consent Order, finalized on January 5, 2026, grants GFL until December 31, 2026, to meet limits. This is not what "state‑of‑the‑art" looks like; it is what being dragged into compliance looks like.
Figure 1 - PFOS and PFOA concentrations and permit limits in the Arbor Hills Landfill’s leachate discharge to the sanitary sewer
The Conservancy Initiative has offered to be a resource to the Washtenaw County Commissioners as they review GFL's proposal to build and operate a NEW LANDFILL. This decision will affect public health and the environment for generations, and the information coming from GFL needs to be independently checked. GFL's failure to disclose these Notices of Violation during its polished, carefully staged presentation to the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners is another reason independent scrutiny is essential.
GFL is asking for permission to build a NEW LANDFILL. At a minimum, they should tell the whole truth about how they are currently performing — and the Board of Commissioners should insist on hearing from independent experts, not simply ask softball questions to the GFL public‑relations team.