DID YOU KNOW?
A transfer station that will accept up to 500 tons of debris a day is currently being proposed in Pleasantville, NJ.
WHAT IS IT?
Bulk trash and construction and demolition debris (concrete, building pieces, furniture, carpets, insulation, and more) would come from haulers across the state to the proposed site in Pleasantville, NJ. The trash would then be hauled away by train through numerous communities to an out-of-state landfill.
The video below shows a similar sized waste-rail transfer station in Philadelphia, PA, and provides a sense of how much waste can be stored outside the facility:
THE ISSUES
MORE TRAFFIC
The daily impacts of truck traffic entering the proposed Waste Rail Transfer Facility will be significantly greater than has been represented to the neighbors, residents and officials of Pleasantville, Egg Harbor Twp. and Atlantic County.
The company represents it will only receive 400 tons per day in their application to Atlantic County, in 115 trucks averaging 4 tons per vehicle. In reality, this will bring closer to 300 vehicles per day! The site only has enough space for five trucks to wait in line.
For comparison, on February 27, 2023, the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) received 500 tons of C&D and bulky waste delivered in 311 trucks. This equals 1.6 tons per vehicle and 38 trucks per hour! Many days ACUA can see up to 400 trucks.
IT IS INADEQUATE
The proposed site is too small. It is only 8,000 square feet, which is the same size of a Dollar General Store! This is inadequate to handle 500 tons of material per day as well as two rail cars, an excavator, a pile of trash and a truck dumping.
The project is not designed to be drive through, so each truck will have to backup to dump, causing constant “beep, beep, beep” noises. Clanging of trucks, loaders, rail cars, locomotives will also happen throughout the day and night. Loaded waste rail cars will be stored on the rail line and sides by Noah’s Road, behind Pleasantville Shopping Center, Spencer’s Gifts and the Atlantic City Cemetery and be moved through downtown Pleasantville every night.
Despite assertions that the facility would not be in a residential area, this map shows that many residents live nearby. The impacts on the neighborhoods around the site in Pleasantville and Egg Harbor Township will be significant.
There is no need for this facility.
Atlantic County already has a designated safe disposal site for this material, which is currently the transfer station and landfill in Egg Harbor Township. The Atlantic County Solid Waste Management Plan designated this regional facility in response to the environmental damage caused by numerous negligent dump sites in our state (such as the Price Landfill turned Superfund site that is still being cleaned up today).
This new proposed site will generate profits for private companies at the expense of the Pleasantville community and all Atlantic County residents.
This facility does not meet the criteria of NJ’s new Environmental Justice Regulations.
Learn more about the regulations here.
The Latest
A legal ad placed in the Press of Atlantic City on August 26, 2022, noted that the applicant intended to increase the transfer station from 8,000 sq. ft. to 52,500 sq. ft. The ad indicated the applicant had filed an application to be heard at a City of Pleasantville Planning Board Meeting on September 6, 2022. The City of Pleasantville Planning Board Secretary informed concerned citizens that the application was deemed incomplete and would not be held at the September 6th meeting.
A Facility Tour and Community Meeting was held on Saturday, April 23, 2022, at the
ACUA Environmental Park, which provided residents with an up-close look at an operating transfer station.
On Thursday, March 3, 2022, a community meeting was held at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Pleasantville to discuss the issue. Click here to watch a recording of the community meeting.
On January 21, 2022, Site Enterprises Inc, the company behind the proposed transfer station, was fined for labor violations the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development for unpaid wages. Click here to read.
On Tuesday, December 21, 2021, The Atlantic County Board of Commissioners voted to support the project before the legal review process is even started. The County Commissioners met the week of Christmas, with no public notice to the impacted residents and communities during one of the busiest weeks in the year. Click here to watch a recording of the meeting.
On Monday, December 27, the City of Ventnor approved a resolution against the project. Click here to read their resolution.
- Solid waste council review of Pleasantville waste-transfer station still stalled April 21, 2022
- Were residents of Pleasantville, NJ kept in the dark about a proposed construction debris and transfer site? – EnviroPolitics, March 7, 2022
- DiNatale company fined for labor violations; another of his companies seeks trash transfer – Press of Atlantic City, February 22, 2022
- Pleasantville trash transfer station drives debate across Atlantic County – Press of Atlantic City, January 16, 2022
- Pleasantville officials, residents divided over proposed trash-transfer center – Press of Atlantic City, December 28, 2021
- Ventnor commission approves resolution of non-support for Pleasantville transfer station, Downbeach.com, December 27, 2021
- Atlantic County commissioners vote to support Pleasantville trash transfer attempts, December 21, 2021
- ACUA Campaign Against Pleasantville Proper, In Public Interest – Press of Atlantic City, September 10, 2021
- Pleasantville residents let City Council know they do not want transfer station – Press of Atlantic City, August 17, 2021
- Pleasantville community gets details, weighs in on proposed construction debris transfer station – Press of Atlantic City, August 13, 2021
Review the Plans
Review all public documents that have been submitted on this project, including the response from the Atlantic County Planning Board below.
MORE TRAFFIC
The project will bring heavy duty vehicles through Pleasantville neighborhoods, increasing traffic and impacting infrastructure.
MORE DUST, LITTER & NOISE
Emissions from increased truck traffic, pollutants and dust from debris, and litter will have an impact on residents and the environment.
INCREASED COSTS
Trash tipping fees for ALL Atlantic County communities will increase if this is passed.
All Atlantic County Residents Will Be Impacted.
All Atlantic County residents will be impacted if this for-profit transfer station opens.
Currently, all Atlantic County communities benefit from a responsible and regional publicly owned solid waste utility, the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA).
ACUA’s solid waste disposal rates reflect the real costs of managing waste, which have historically been the lowest in the state. Any revenue ACUA generates from other services it offers, like curbside collection, recycling, or product sales, gets reinvested into the utility and helps keep rates down for all Atlantic County Communities.
For-profit companies have no interest and no incentive to keep rates down for residents or reinvest in the community. If this facility is opened, trash tipping fees for all Atlantic County residents will increase.
Not Good Enough for Galloway, but Good Enough for Pleasantville?
The owners of the facility tried and failed to bring a trash rail transfer station to Galloway Township in 2020. After pushback from the community in Galloway regarding traffic, pollution, and other concerns, the company looked elsewhere.
Proven Track Record?
The transfer station would utilize the neighboring railway to dispose of the material. A similar trash-by-rail transfer station, which operated on the same tracks in Pleasantville, was closed approximately 12 years ago. The lack of concern for the community is still apparent today:
No More Pollution.
Pleasantville is already home to Price’s Pit, a former landfill-turned-Superfund site, that was once referred to as the “most serious environmental problem in the United States.” Because the landfill was not properly managed or regulated, industrial chemicals contaminated drinking water. Clean-up work on this site continues today.
Do you really want this in your backyard?
Tell Leaders NO!
Make your voice heard. Express your reasons why you don’t want a construction and demolition debris dump site in Pleasantville.
Spread the Word
Residents and business owners in Pleasantville should be informed of how this proposed project impacts their community. Reach out to ACUA if you would like to have a lawn sign on this issue by calling 609.272.6950.
#StoptheDumpPleasantville
Tweet
Related Issues
- Murphy Administration Advances Efforts to Implement New Jersey’s Landmark Environmental Justice Law
- Trash Train Derailed into Ohio River, November 7, 2022
Your Input Matters
Citizens around the state and the country are saying no to trash in their backyards, and you can too! Some recent examples:
Stop the Dump Pleasantville 