THROOP, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A local community is deciding whether to allow a local landfill to run treated leachate through its sewer system.
As 28/22 News first told you, Keystone Sanitary Landfill wants to send the treated landfill liquid to a wastewater treatment plant in Throop instead of Scranton.
On Sunday afternoon, 28/22 News spoke with more people who live in Throop concerning the possibility of sending leachate to their sewer system.
They declined an on-camera interview with 28/22 News, but made it clear they are not only opposed to this proposed plan, they are also untrusting of it.
The sewer system passing through the intersection of Centre Street and Charles Street in Throop is free from treated leachate, at least for now.
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Keystone Sanitary Landfill is proposing that the liquid that permeates through its garbage piles passes through there at the legal limit.
Besides Throop residents opposing the new proposed plan, uncertainty and sarcasm came out at Wednesday night's public meeting.
"We trust everything that we are hearing, right? Because they have never been fined," Throop resident Susan Green explained.
It's because the Lackawanna County landfill has committed violations in the past.
The landfill recently agreed to a $15,000-plus settlement with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) after storing too much leachate in its lagoons in 2023 and 2024.
In January, Keystone received a notice of violation for failing to control odors from the leachate lagoons at its facilities in Dunmore and Throop.
Keystone Sanitary Landfill Consultant Al Magnotta and Throop Borough Council President Richard Kucharski say they are trying to be as transparent with people as possible.
"The next step in the process is again maximum transparency and due diligence. We have called this meeting to, first of all, let everyone know what's being proposed," Council President Kucharski stated.
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Transparent or not, Throop residents say the landfill looking to bring its business in their backyard is not going to cut it.
"We do care about our businesses, too. We want them to be fair, fair to themselves, but also fair to us. We deserve better than what they're planning," Green added.
28/22 News followed up with Council President Kucharski on Sunday, who was unavailable for an interview.
He tells 28/22 News he and his councilman are figuring out how to proceed with the proposal and are currently at ground zero.
He says the next meeting has yet to be decided.
