By Erin Roy Hardwick, MA Just finished reading the Worcester Telegram & Gazette article “Trash Talk: Should Casella return or stay out? Issue divides Central Mass. Town.”
What drives me “bananas” is the pro-dump supporters telling me that because I make trash, I should welcome all of New England to dump their trash in my town. Yes, residents of Hardwick make trash. Yes, we should be responsible for making less trash and disposal of our trash. If everyone in town wants to work together to solve Hardwick’s trash disposal issue locally, count me in.
In my opinion, this does NOT mean we have to host a REGIONAL dump to the detriment of our town and its future generations. What Casella and the Roach’s are proposing is a REGIONAL dump!! As a town in 2007, Hardwick voted No. I think it is disingenuous when the proponents argue that this regional dump is going to be the same as the small town family owned dump.
In 1968, the Board of Selectman chose the Roach Patrill Hollow Road property as the site for Hardwick’s landfill. The dump’s purpose was to dispose of Hardwick’s trash ONLY. During this time, it was common for each individual town to have its own dump. If this proposed dump was for Hardwick’s trash only, which was the original intent of the site assignment by the town, it would last the town 845 years!
Population of Hardwick: 2713
(https://censusreporter.org/profiles/06000US2502728740-hardwick-town-worcester-county-ma/)
Average yearly trash produced per person: 2 tons.
Hardwick’s yearly estimated trash production: 2713 residents x 2 tons avg. yearly trash = 5,426 tons of trash per year.
Casella and Roach propose to dump 350,000 tons of trash per year in Hardwick. Hardwick’s trash makes up only 1.55% of the total amount. At this percentage, if this was a Hardwick trash only dump as originally sited, one year of Casella’s dumping would last the town approximately 65 years. Multiply 65 years by the 13 years that Casella estimates its operation, and you get 845 years!
To create this regional dump, Casella and Roach want the town to terminate Patrill Hollow Road and bury it under 830 feet of trash. Didn’t the town work hard to fix the bridge on Patrill Hollow Road because of needed emergency access to the “west part”? Imagine an 830-foot mountain of trash overflowing and polluting the Muddy Brook Valley, for what? For a minuscule percentage of Casella’s yearly profits for 13 years, that somehow according to dump supporters is the best idea we have to “sustain” Hardwick and is going to solve all Hardwick’s financial woes and get us a shiny red firetruck and ambulance too!
In my opinion, this is extremely short sighted and magical thinking. Wherever Casella goes, they plunder, and pillage, then sue to get their way, all the while polluting and leaving contamination in their wake.
Actions speak louder than words. The landfill owners have been bad faith actors. Under Roach’s ownership, the dump’s Phase II expansion was built without DEP permits or oversight, to which they were fined $175,000. They sold this dump to Casella for millions with the promise of more if they got the zoning changed to industrial. As for the zoning, both Roach and Casella knew the zoning was wrong, the DEP stated it in the Phase II site assignment review. Instead of proposing the zoning changes to the town for a vote before opening the landfill, Casella, ever the bully, just started dumping trash illegally and waited until residents sued them to stop. It was losing this lawsuit that forced Casella to petition the town for a zoning change, NOT because they had Hardwick’s best interest at heart. I think it is deceitful when Casella and the Roach’s promote themselves as benevolent and they're just doing this to “fund the basic town services our residents deserve.” Malarkey!
Trash is big money; this regional dump is really a boon for Casella. Hardwick will be left holding the proverbial “trash bag” and its toxic legacy in perpetuity. The only way to “sustain” Hardwick’s way of life and protect its future is to vote no to reopening the dump.
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