Last month's closure of the Moretown Landfill has apparently had some unintended consequences for the town. The issue of illegal dumping was raised at the August 5 Moretown Select Board meeting.
Here's how the meeting minutes reported the issue, raised during a highway department report by Road Foreman Martin Cameron:
Martin has found that since the landfill closed, garbage is being dumped along several town roads. Mattresses, bags of garbage, tires , etc. Martin doesn’t know what to do with things such as tires and mattresses.
The select board also heard that people have been seen using the school dumpsters to dump personal trash. The town is looking into the problem, and has begun locking the dumpsters. Meanwhile, the select board is investigating enforcement options to address the roadside dumping.
The Moretown landfill was one of only two landfills in Vermont when it was closed by the state at the end of March, due to environmental concerns and odor complaints. The landfill had been used by local customers and commercial haulers alike. All customers were directed, instead, to use transfer stations around the region.
The Moretown landfill reopened for local customers only in April, but closed again July 15 when the owners reached an agreement with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. The landfill’s owners have indicated that they plan to apply for a permit to open a new section at the Moretown site. The state says it will review that application when it's received.
