RIVERVIEW, Mich. – More than 300 people logged in to the virtual Wayne County Facility Inclusion Committee meeting regarding a proposed landfill expansion in Riverview.
City leaders said if the expansion is not approved, the landfill would have to shut down in a few years and would raise property taxes.
On the agenda is the consideration of an application from the city for a proposed expansion of its municipal solid waste landfill -- a 45 acre expansion eastward resulting in a 5% increase to the footprint.
City officials presented to reasons for an expansion:
- Expand the life of the landfill. It’s current intake is about eight to 10 years left of space. Expansion would equal 15 additional years.
- It continues to fund Riverview’s budget. The landfill operations currently account for 30% of the city’s budget. Without the money, city services could be affected, such as trash pickup, police and fire.
- It produces renewable energy for downriver homes such as electricity to 3,700 homes per year.
However, neighbors who live and work near the landfill do no want it expanded, city health and safety concerns.
“It’s an unfortunate nature of human existence that we do create waste and that it has to go somewhere. But continuously burying it within a golf shot distance of where so many folks live isn’t really going to be long-term solution,” said Trenton Mayor Steven Rzeppa.
“The pleasant photos that were submitted do not accurately reflect what the residents are going to have to live with for the next 30 years if it is approved,” said resident Claudia Orr.
The McLouth Waterfront Alliance (MWA) is pleased with the decision Monday by the Wayne County Facility Inclusion Committee (WCFIC) to hold off approving the expansion of Riverview Land Preserve landfill.
The WCFIC voted unanimously at a public meeting to require the City of Riverview to address numerous questions and concerns raised by area citizens before approval of the expansion proposal would be considered further.
“I’m so proud of our citizens, our organization and what we’ve collectively achieved,” says Ryan Stewart, President of the MWA. “We stood up when it mattered, and it made a big difference.”
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