What is the goal of this project?
To create a project in which the landfill will provide shared infrastructure and the production of alternative energy. This project will deal with waste.
Why put the landfill in the proposed location?
Many factors were considered in the selection of the proposed site. First, the location being centrally located and accessible through the existing roadway network is a positive for siting the project in the proposed location. The size and configuration allow for many possibilities of resource recovery operations and related industry. The existing geological features and lack of limestone formations create a good foundation for landfilling practices. The distance from existing residences far exceeds most landfill sites in Pennsylvania where homes, businesses and schools are much closer to those landfills.
Where does my trash go?
Currently, the majority of waste within Rush Township, Snow Shoe, and Snow Shoe Borough is collected by individual waste haulers and transported to the Centre County Solid Waste Authority Transfer Station. From the transfer station it is loaded on tractor trailers and trucked to the Shade Township Waste Management Landfill in Somerset County.
What is the capacity of landfills in PA?
Landfill capacity in Pennsylvania has been on the decline for the past several years. According to a study completed by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association in 2008, at the present rate of disposal, depending on the method of calculation, Pennsylvania has between 8.3 and 13.8 years of permitted landfill capacity, as of December 2007. The majority (nearly 70%) of Pennsylvania's capacity is located in the southwest region of the State.
Pennsylvania is divided into 6 regions (southwest, northwest, northcentral, southcentral, northeast, and southeast). The northcentral region possesses less than 1.5 percent of Pennsylvania's capacity, yet a large fraction of the waste disposed of in Pennsylvania travels through this region to landfills in the southwest and northwest regions, resulting in many millions of excess truck-miles and fuel consumed to reach these distant landfills. This excess travel, in addition to fuel consumption and added traffic, results in pollution and road deterioration. Between January 2002 and September 2006, there was a net decrease of 40 million tons in Pennsylvania's disposal capacity.
How many trucks will bring trash to the landfill facility each day?
At full build-out and operation of the landfill facility, the number of trucks delivering to the site could be approximately 250 trucks per day.
Will state and/or federal monies be used to fund any portion of the project or the landfill?
No. The landfill and the interchange infrastructure will be funded privately, without any monetary involvement from any government authority.
