The Agency of Natural Resources announced Thursday that it’s shutting down the Moretown Landfill.
The decision to deny the operator’s application for continued operation comes after hundreds of odor complaints were filed in the last year and a half. ANR says Moretown Landfill tried to control odor problems but was unsuccessful in reducing the number of complaints.
The agency’s decision also cites continued groundwater violations, including standards for arsenic, manganese and iron at the property boundary.
The landfill can continue operating for the next 30 days but will have to shut down by April 15th. The landfill owners, Advanced Disposal, will be required to come up with a plan to control odors and reduce impacts to groundwater after its closure.
The shutdown of the Moretown Landfill leaves just one lined landfill in the state of Vermont, in Coventry. But Natural Resources officials say there is significant capacity in that remaining site and in neighboring states.