Guilderland to stop using Albany landfill

GUILDERLAND - The town of Guilderland plans to haul its garbage a bit farther. Officials want to stop adding refuse to the Pine Bush landfill.

Environmentalists are applauding the move.

The city of Albany operates the landfill, which accepts trash from 13 area communities.

Guilderland plans to become the first -- so far the only -- community to stop tossing its trash there.

"All landfills leak. We have photographs of orange leachate coming out of the landfill into the Patroon Creek and into Lake Rensselaer. It's absolutely disgusting," said Lynne Jackson of Save the Pine Bush.

Jackson and her group are thrilled with Guilderland Supervisor Ken Runion's decision. He plans to stop using the nearby Albany landfill, carting refuse another 12 miles or so to the Colonie Town Dump.

"We have worked diligently in this town to preserve Pine Bush land for many, many years. You know, it just violates our principles to see land that could become part of the Pine Bush Preserve to be used as an expansion to the landfill," Runion said.

Albany's longtime landfill boss Bill Bruce says the Guilderland decision will have almost no financial effect on the landfill. It's only the town's trash that is affected, not the much larger amount from Guilderland households. That's collected by private haulers and is unaffected by the town's decision.

Bruce does point out that the landfill expansion came with a deal that set aside $10 for each ton for Pine Bush restoration.

Save the Pine Bush is just happy that Guilderland plans to stop dumping at the Albany landfill.

"The Pine Bush is a very rare ecosystem. They believe that there are about 20 of these Pine Barron ecosystems left in the world of which Albany's is the best example," Jackson said.

There are a dozen other communities in addition to the city of Albany that plan to continue using the Pine Bush landfill.

It was just last week that the state Department of Environmental Conservation issued the permit for landfill expansion. They don't believe the added dumping will lead to harm.