On February 4, the Department of Environmental Protection announced it has approved Advanced Disposal Services Greentree Landfill, LLC’s “Root Cause Report” detailing Advanced Disposal’s investigation and conclusion regarding the cause of the slope failure on February 8, 2017, at the Greentree Landfill in Kersey, Elk County.

DEP required Advanced Disposal to conduct the investigation and submit the Root Cause Report under a Consent Order and Agreement between the DEP and Advanced Disposal dated November 30, 2017.

Experts hired by Advanced Disposal prepared the Root Cause Report and concluded that the placement of non-conventional waste streams within the Greentree Landfill, including low shear strength sludges, and other operational factors created conditions that caused the February 8, 2017 slope failure.

Industry experts hired by DEP to review the Root Cause Report did not contest the conclusions and DEP approved the Root Cause Report.

The Consent Order and Agreement also required Advanced Disposal to remediate the slope failure area, consent to restrictions on sludge acceptance, and pay a civil penalty of $600,000. 

Advanced Disposal later agreed to a modification of the agreement that included $95,000 in additional penalties. Advanced Disposal continues to remediate the area of the slope failure at Greentree Landfill.

The penalties were paid into the Solid Waste Abatement Fund, which is used to address problems at abandoned landfills, help to address littering and anti-dumping initiatives.

Click Here for a copy of the Root Cause Report, without lengthy appendices.

Media questions should be directed to Neil Shader at 717-787-1323 or by email to: nshader@pa.gov.

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[Posted: Feb. 4, 2019]

2/11/2019