Camden Landfill Open For Now
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We have new developments in the fight between a Camden landfill and the people who live nearby, as the city says it must shut down, but a court says differently. The City of Camden has sided with homeowners who say their health is being harmed because of what is being dumped, recycling waste, but the landfill owner has found a new way to keep it open, for now. Earlier this month city leaders declared the landfill a public nuisance, which would have allowed the city to restrict large trucks from entering the landfill, starting at midnight Friday. That would essentially shut the business down. But Thursday afternoon, the company was granted a temporary restraining order allowing them to continue business as usual. The community is divided all over aluminum dross. It produces ammonia when it eventually mixes with water at the Environmental Waste Solutions Landfill. Roy Sharpe, a resident, said, “We shouldn’t have to put up with this and I’ll do anything I can to get this stopped.” That is why Sharpe and other residents went to their city leaders. The smell has not stopped, and they believe it is causing a greater health concern that the president of EWS is not admitting. Scott Sohr, President of EWS, said, “We’re not emitting toxic things in the air. Our landfill is highly engineered.” But residents believe it is exactly that, toxic. They believe since the landfill is the only one in the state to accept this type of material, there must be something wrong. Sharpe adds, “I don’t understand why Benton County always gets what everyone else doesn’t want.” City leaders say the odors have not stopped, and that is the reason they put their foot down Wednesday night, refusing to allow the company a 60 day extension to run large trucks on city streets to get to the landfill. As of midnight on Friday, they would have been turned away by the police, however EWS was granted a temporary restraining order, meaning business can go on as usual, at least for now. Sohr, says, “I’m not disputing the fact that people may get an occasional smell from time to time. We’re still we’re working on that and it’s our goal to continue to mitigate it, so people don’t smell anything from this facility.” The smell, they say, will continue to be monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And they say if all their efforts still do not satisfy the public, and they are forced to shut down, it is headed to court. If that is the case, this problem could affect county taxpayers. Sohr does not know, at this point, how long the restraining order will allow them to keep their gates open, but do have a hearing set for early April.
