Landfill Stewardship and Public Policy
Friday, December 31, 2010
By Brian Tippetts
Here’s a question for John Q. Public: When the trucks stop rolling and the landfill in your community is closed, what legacy would you like to be left by your landfill operator? Would you prefer to have a nature preserve with diverse ecological communities and walking trails, or a monolithic, pyramid-shaped mound covered in mowed turfgrass, weeds, and Keep Out signs?
The obvious answer is that the public in every community would choose a public park over a fenced wasteland. But why, then, do so few communities enjoy such a legacy? An honest assessment may simply point to the failure to plan in advance for ecologically healthy land uses upon closure.
All landfill managers have heard of closed landfill golf courses, ski hills, and green, open space. But how green are these green, open spaces? And how many landfills take a comprehensive look at the entire property as part of “nature” that is important in their long-term planning? What most communities call green, open space upon landfill closure is really just a plan to not have a plan. In the absence of ecological thinking and planning, too often landfill properties become idle, unused, boring, if not ominous, closed-to-the-public open spaces.
Ideally, every landfill would consider the issues of ecological health and land restoration at the outset of the planning for a new landfill property, or, perhaps most often these days, at the beginning of planning for an expansion.
And, ideally, landfill closure planning would consider the entire property, rather than only the cap. Typically a landfill’s land holdings are large, comprising hundreds of acres, and yet the landfill footprint is usually a relatively small part of the property. While the landfill is operational, the unused or underused peripheral buffer areas make excellent locations for restoring local ecosystems, providing passive recreation and improved aesthetics and preparing the site for closure.
Many landfills that have created usable natural conservation areas have pretty much done it without a cohesive ecological vision or plan. But this ecological vision planning can be done, and it provides great benefits for landfill public relations within the local community. In many cases, it can even help facilitate the permitting process.
To make the most of a conservation-based PR opportunity, however, a landfill has to be careful that its land management plan is grounded in science. “Greenwashing” a landfill’s landscape (merely installing bluebird houses, for example, does little to restore a native ecosystem) can backfire into negative public sentiment if a landfill overstates its green-ness.
A reasonable restoration plan using site-appropriate native species can re-establish historic native plant communities and bring back hundreds of birds, butterflies, and wildlife. The restored native ecosystems can become outdoor education sites for students and local citizens, and the landfill neighbors will appreciate the beauty, diversity, and care of the land.
One of the best examples of an ecologically sound approach to landfill management is the Seneca Meadows Landfill in upstate New York, where a complex expansion project has resulted in a vast new conservation area for the local community.
In 2007, when the continuation of New York’s largest landfill operation required unavoidable impacts to 70 acres of wetlands, the landfill owners caught the vision of ecosystem restoration and established the Seneca Meadows Wetlands Preserve, containing almost 1,200 acres of restored ecological communities.
Don Gentilcore, district manager of Seneca Meadows Inc., explains: “We decided to forgo the standard 3:1 wetland mitigation ratio and instead dedicated over eight times the required acreage. A large area of high-quality wetlands will benefit the local ecology far more than one with limited acreage.”
Designed and installed by Applied Ecological Services Inc., the immense conservation area provides habitat for wild turkey, white-tailed deer, red and grey fox, and hundreds of birds and amphibians, including the rare, threatened least bittern. Likewise, ospreys, northern harriers, and bald eagles have been observed on the newly restored natural area. In addition to the wetland, prairie, savanna, and forest habitats, AES designed over 7 miles of hiking trails throughout the Seneca Meadows Wetland Preserve.
The project also funded construction of a Nature Education Center, run by Seneca Meadows Inc. and by the National Audubon Society. Once the Seneca Meadows Landfill is no longer in operation, Audubon will assume the care and management of the wetlands preserve, which has been placed in a conservation easement.
“Perpetual care” is required after the landfill is closed and the wetland permits have expired. Seneca Meadows took an innovative step to ensure the perpetual care and has initiated an endowment account that will annually provide funds to the endowment for the management of the site in perpetuity. The endowment account has been designed to provide sufficient annual interest for the necessary management of the site forever. Thus, there will be no anticipated financial burden requirement on the Audubon Society
“Our role will be to ensure that this beautiful habitat retains its ecological vitality forever,” says Frank Moses, director of the Montezuma Audubon Society Center. Audubon recently helped its landfill neighbor with a grand opening of the Seneca Meadows Wetland Preserve. And while the opening attracted big names from local political and environmental circles, “the bobolink, Henslow’s sparrow, and least bittern are the visitors that show the project’s success,” according to AES ecologist Steve Apfelbaum.
Another evidence of its success is the overwhelming positive response the landfill has received from local residents and conservation advocates who have praised the landfill project in the local press. Andy Zepp, director of the Finger Lakes Land Trust, was quoted to say, “I’m excited about what has been accomplished. It provides significant wildlife habitat and is especially valuable because of its proximity to the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge.”
As is the case at Seneca Meadows, with a forward-thinking conservation plan in place, landfills can actually leave their properties in better shape than when they acquired them. This may seem like an oxymoron to some, but it is quite achievable and scientifically measurable.
Generally speaking, when land is acquired for a landfill or an expansion, it is not a pristine piece of property. It is usually land that has been heavily used and invaded by weedy, aggressive non-native plant communities—the kind of noxious shrubs and plants natural resource agencies have on their Do Not Plant lists. Thus, from an ecological viewpoint, a landfill owner can somewhat easily create a better native ecological community than existed before the landfill was built.
The steps to restore ecological health to a landfill property include the following:
- Understand your local ecology by studying the history of the land, and use this history to help unfold the broader ecological story. Was the site grassland, forest, marsh, or some interrelated combination?
- Conduct a natural resources inventory to understand current conditions, and identify the endangered or threatened species of the area to find opportunities for expanding their habitats.
- Understand how onsite and neighboring hydrology, geology, biology, and soils conditions and practices affect the property. For example, are offsite stormwater or agricultural practices affecting what can be done at the landfill property?
- Prepare a closure and restoration plan with a conservation vision and linked recreational plan, with a phased timetable.
- Involve the public in hands-on design of the park and conservation outcomes. Establish goals, schedules, and budgets. The plan should outline how this the property will or will not connect with surrounding properties. For example, is the site part of regional watershed plan, or does the site allow for connectivity of area trails for recreation or wildlife? Create relationships with neighbors to expand a “greenfingers” concept with conservation and recreation outcomes.
- Communicate the plan through public education and implement the phased plan, starting with peripheral buffer areas, if possible.
- Operate the site as an active landfill, of course, but conduct management activities with a commitment to sustaining ecological health, which requires such things as periodic invasive species removal.
- As appropriate, encourage passive recreation and enjoyment of the site by the public.
The benefits of creating a conservation vision for your landfill property are not only ecological but also cultural and economic.
Ecological—Scientifically plan and implement land restoration projects that demonstrate the ecological health of the property is stronger and better than before the landfill existed. A professional ecologist who understands the plant and animal communities of your region is important to establish a scientific underpinning for your plan.
Cultural—Your conservation vision can foster tremendous community goodwill and offset some of the negative perceptions of landfill operations. A professional PR/communications firm can help if staff is unavailable. Encourage the public to go birding, hiking, botanizing, and to learn about the natural world. Opportunities for school groups to visit and study the restoration ecology will be greatly appreciated because such opportunities may be rare or inaccessible to much of the public. And, of course, this is a time to educate students on landfills.
Economical—Maintenance of a properly restored ecosystem will not cost more than typical custodial care, and, over the long-term, may be less expensive. In addition, tax-incentivized arrangements, maintenance agreements, and/or financial terms may be available through conservation organizations.
Landfills may be a necessity in our society today, but the landfill industry also has the responsibility to use properties as a public resource to help improve the ecological health of our communities. Abandoned land can itself be a waste, particularly in locations where natural areas and passive recreation opportunities are in short supply. Landfills have valuable opportunities to do better—let’s leave the best legacy we can for our children and grandchildren.
If landfill stewardship is an issue you would like to learn more about, go to SWANAstore (www.SWANA.org) and order the E-Session “Landfill Property End-Use Planning with Ecology,” by ecologists and authors Steve Apfelbaum and Alan Haney as they discuss ecology and their book Restoring Ecological Health to Your Land (or Landfill!). MSW
Author's Bio: Brian Tippetts is sustainable landfill specialist with Applied Ecological Services Inc. and a member of MSW Management’s editorial advisory board. |
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