Meeting to discuss BFI’s request to expand

POLAND — A public meeting is set for 7 p.m. Thursday on a request by Browning-Ferris Industries to increase capacity at its South Stateline Road landfill.

The meeting will be at the township administration building, 3339 Dobbins Road.

Mike Settles and Katharina Snyder of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency said that the landfill’s application is in the early stage of the review process, which may take more than a year.

Mike Heher, manager of the carbon limestone sanitary landfill, said that if the increase is approved, the landfill’s capacity would increase from 34 million cubic yards to 47 million cubic yards.

It would enable the facility to continue operating for 75 to 90 years, he said. This has been part of BFI’s plans since 1997.

“It’s not something new,” Heher said.

He said that the proposed increase is to add vertical capacity as well as fill in spaces between holding areas.

The request that is the subject of the public meeting is separate from a proposal also before Ohio EPA that would allow the facility to increase the amount of solid waste the landfill accepts per day.