Being a Good Neighbor
Conestoga Landfill recognizes that some people will never be happy about having a landfill as a neighbor. Even so, the management and staff of Conestoga are always trying to be a good neighbor. This approach is both sound business and the right thing to do. Conestoga seeks to be responsive to the community and do its best to minimize any impact beyond its borders.
Conestoga supports and works with a Citizens Advisory Committee, which provides an opportunity for representatives of the community to be heard and offer input. The committee meets quarterly. It reviews all public reports, including any complaints that may have been made against the landfill. Management keeps the committee informed of its plans and encourages the committee to provide feedback and advice.
Conestoga has an aggressive and ongoing program to minimize and control odors and blowing litter. A stationary “hot-air” system that vaporizes and disperses an odor control product has been installed around the perimeter of the facility to help control landfill odors. This is supplemented with a mobile misting system that is moved as the working area of the landfill shifts. Depending on weather and landfill conditions, water tank trucks may spray the working face with odor-neutralizing agents. Conestoga is making provisions to screen the active working-face area with an earth berm or a high screen fence, depending on the working face location. These measures help shield neighbors areas from odors, noise, and seeing trash as it is placed and covered. Conestoga follows procedures recommended by the National Solid Waste Management Association (NSWMA). Our comprehensive odor control plan is designed to identify odors and sources of odors that may originate at the landfill and establish actions to minimize and control identified odors.
The plan covers a variety of control measures, including expansion of the active gas collection system; application of odor control products to the working face; installation of permanent anti-odor sprayers and a deodorizer system parallel to Shiloh Road and I-176; use of portable sprayers and prototype foggers to apply anti-odor products around the working face.
We also have a transportation compliance plan, which includes checking for proper tarps, leaking loads, and overweight violations. Exiting vehicles are checked by video to make sure they have been swept clean of litter and debris. We recently installed a wheel wash to help prevent trucks from tracking mud onto local roads. We also regularly run a street sweeper to keep local roads clean. We relocated our "haul road"-the road used to take cover material into the landfill-so less dirt gets tracked onto the main access road. We also enforce strict rules-haulers that fail to use the designated routes face loss of access to our facility.
A litter fence is used to catch debris. Crews of workers are sent out regularly to pick up any litter that happens to escape.
Conestoga is aware that neighbors are concerned about property values. That’s why we offer a Property Value Protection Program. This program guarantees that if any resident within a half-mile of the landfill is unable to sell his or her home at fair market value, we will pay the difference between the appraised fair market value and the selling price. Furthermore, if any resident is unable to sell his or her home after it has been on the market for 180 days, Conestoga will purchase the property at appraised fair market value. If our pending application for expansion of the landfill is approved, we will voluntarily extend the program to cover all residential properties within the Mountaineer Village development.
The landfill maintains extensive landscaping to buffer neighbors from noise and visual impact. Plans call for modification of the backup alarms on our heavy equipment so the sound of the alarms will be less perceptible off site.
Transport routes to and from the landfill keep trucks off local roads. Conestoga is close to the Pennsylvania Turnpike and I-176. The haul-route is less than a mile long and passes only one residence. Conestoga takes responsibility for maintaining Quarry Road, which is used to reach the landfill.
Conestoga has announced plans to improve and relocate Shiloh Road. The road will be moved farther away from the landfill, yet because of the improvements, the surface will be smoother, the speed limit will be higher, and travel time over the road will be quicker than it is now.
As a service, Conestoga provides free waste collection and disposal to more than 100 residents in an area around our facility. We also offer free collection and disposal of waste from the Caernarvon Township municipal building, public library, and firehouse. What's more, we conduct free periodic street sweeping in Morgantown and Mountaineer Village, and along Shiloh Road. Conestoga also expends tens of thousands of dollars every year in contributions and in-kind services to local charitable and civic organizations.