By Sunayana Prabhu
TINTON FALLS – A new advisory committee is set to report on the landfill odor that has frustrated many for months.
Borough residents have been voicing concerns over the odor emanating from the Monmouth County Reclamation Center (MCRC). After public outcry during a January council meeting with county officials, Tinton Falls’ governing body voted to create an advisory committee – consisting of residents and council members – aimed at determining the source of the smell and reporting on the progress in managing it.
The borough council created the Tinton Falls Citizens Monitoring Landfill Committee (CMLC) at its Feb. 6 meeting. The five-member committee will include council president Risa Clay and council member John Manginelli who will appoint three residents.
The committee will meet with county officials, members of the Monmouth County Health Department and representatives from the company that operates the landfill.
Waste Management of New Jersey, the company contracted by the county to operate and manage the landfill since 2019, has been working to abate odors coming from the landfill. Scott Perin, area director of disposal operations for Waste Management, apologized to the residents during the Jan. 16 council meeting before giving a presentation about the current odor situation.
“We’re extremely frustrated with where the performance of the site is today and we just want everybody to know that we’re working hard with the county to make sure we address those issues going forward,” Perin said at the time.
In January, officials proposed a 90-day plan to address the odor issue. The new advisory committee set up by the council on Tuesday will “stay on top of that,” said Kevin Starkey, director of law for Tinton Falls, “and they’ll report back to the council and to members of the public with their determinations whether Waste Management is doing what they’re supposed to be doing or not and what we can do to deal with that.”
According to the resolution, the objectives of the CMLC are to compare the progress to the 90-day plan set forth by Waste Management of New Jersey Inc.; to review any resident complaints and the timeliness of the adjudication of such complaints; to receive feedback from residents of Tinton Falls on the odors; and to solicit and consider comments from Waste Management officials on the status of the MCRC and landfill odors.
The landfill is spread over 900 acres in the middle of Tinton Falls at Asbury Avenue and Shafto Road. It collects over 400,000 tons of total waste annually from 53 towns in Monmouth County. The Household Hazardous Waste Facility is located adjacent to the Reclamation Center and offers solid waste disposal facilities for residents. Waste Management officials have attributed the surge in landfill odor to heavy rainfall in the fall causing erosion on the side slopes of the site which allows more gas to escape or water to infiltrate. The area also experienced very few dry periods in between the rains, which accelerated decomposition, leading to increased gas production and operational challenges at the landfill.
Concerns about health impacts due to the persistent stink came up again during the meeting as resident Andrew Thurston emphasized the need for more action. Thurston explained that the smell has kept his family up at night when it became “so strong outside that (it) infiltrated and completely, completely overwhelmed our house.”
“The biggest concern we have here is we don’t know the health impacts of this,” Thurston said, urging council members to make “effective” decisions on resolving the issue.
Manginelli noted that the council has “active participation” in the matter for the “first time in 10 years” with the creation of the advisory committee. “I wish I could flip the switch and the stink would go away.”
Instead, he said, “It’s going to take a lot of investigation. But we will get it resolved. I promise you that.”
Each member will serve on the CMLC until Dec. 31, when the council will evaluate its continued need and effectiveness and determine whether to renew the terms.
The CMLC is expected to hold regular meetings and coordinate with representatives of Waste Management and officials from Monmouth County.
Ellen Goldberg, the newly appointed chairperson for the borough’s environmental commission pitched for the creation of an Environmental Resource Inventory (ERI) for Tinton Falls. Several residents voiced their support, including former chairman of the environmental commission Mitch Colberg and Lora Smith-Staines.
An ERI contains an index of all the natural resources within a town. It is a document shaped by the governing body in collaboration with residents and professional experts. Goldberg noted that an inventory of natural resources in a dedicated ERI can be used in land use planning, site plan reviews, determination of zoning regulations and municipal ordinances. The ERI can also be used as an indicator of sensitive areas that need protection and educate residents about their community and natural resources.
The ERI can provide “invaluable” data to create ordinances to guide any future development in the borough and protect environmentally sensitive areas. “Without ordinances, Tinton Falls could become a target for developers or for county or state level changes that are beyond our control,” Goldberg said. “This is probably especially true in our town because it borders and incorporates such a variety of areas.”
According to Goldberg, Tinton Falls is becoming “much more complex,” given the rapid development in the area. The environmental commission needs “to see ahead,” Goldberg said. The borough needs to be “proactive” in drafting “protective ordinances” before builder plans are submitted, “Otherwise, we will not have the structure and support we need when new things come up.”
The council responded favorably to the proposal and council member Tracey Buckley suggested proposing a budget for the ERI.
The environmental commission is hoping to receive grant money of $22,000. Goldberg requested the council match that amount which will be used to hire environmental and technical experts to identify and protect natural resources in the borough, a process that could take almost a year.
The article originally appeared in the February 15 –21, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
