Advocates demanded Gov. Hochul and the DEC reject permit expansion and enforce landfill closure by 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 26, 2025
WATERLOO, NEW YORK – Today, Seneca Lake Guardian joined Concerned Citizens of Seneca County alongside families, students, educators for a rally near Waterloo High School and Waterloo Middle School calling on Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to reject the proposed expansion of Seneca Meadows Inc., New York State’s largest landfill owned by Waste Connections, a Texas-based for-profit corporation. A local law passed in 2016 and reaffirmed by the state supreme court this year requires the landfill to shut down by the end of 2025, but the State is still considering the proposed expansion, which would grow the landfill’s footprint by 47 acres and continue operations through 2040.
“Our kids are the most vulnerable. Their lungs are still developing, they breathe faster, and they spend most of their day just steps away from the biggest pile of trash in New York State,” said Yvonne Taylor, Vice President of Seneca Lake Guardian. “They play baseball next to this landfill. They learn math next to this landfill. They eat lunch next to this landfill. None of that should be acceptable. Governor Hochul and the DEC need to shut down Seneca Meadows once and for all to put our children, our climate, and our future ahead of corporate polluters.”
Seneca Meadows poses a unique risk to children due to its noxious odors and proximity to local schools. The toxic landfill can be seen from Waterloo school grounds, as well as the nearby Waterloo Little League fields. Students and teachers have cited instances when the odor is so overpowering that people get sick or have to call out of school.
The proposed expansion would allow the state’s largest landfill to continue operating for decades, despite Seneca Falls’ Local Law No. 3 of 2016, which requires closure by December 31, 2025. The expansion not only violates the law but also threatens the Finger Lakes’ environment, tourism economy, quality of life, and public health for all residents.
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About Seneca Lake Guardian
Seneca Lake Guardian is a New York State not-for-profit Corporation with 501(c)(3) and is dedicated to preserving and protecting the health of the Finger Lakes, its residents and visitors, its rural community character, and its agricultural and tourist related businesses through public education, citizen participation, engagement with decision makers, and networking with like-minded organizations.