Politics & Government
Residents Organize To Oppose Management Of Brookhaven Landfill
A new community and racial justice coalition says Town of Brookhaven needs a plan to close landfill and opposes a new ashfill at the site.
NORTH BELLPORT, NY — The Brookhaven Landfill Action and Remediation Group is a new community organization that grew out of some of Long Island's Black Lives Matters activism this past spring. The group, formed in June, has coalesced around a longstanding issue: the Brookhaven landfill and how the Town of Brookhaven is handling waste issues.
Monique Fitzgerald is a North Bellport resident who is involved in the group and told Patch how the issue of the location and management of landfill is not only of environmental concern but also one of racial justice for the activists.
"We decided it wasn't enough just to protest. We needed issue-based politics and to look at how black people are treated here, close to home."
Find out what's happening in Patchoguewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The 192-acre landfill is located in North Bellport, a predominately black and Latino area. In September, the town reached a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over elevated levels of noxious gases surrounding the landfill. A state inquiry and lawsuit over a possible cancer cluster at nearby Frank P. Long intermediate school still concerns local residents, even though a December 2019 state report declared that there was no evidence of elevated cancer rates in the area.
There has been grassroots advocacy opposing the landfill's location and handling since its opening, Fitzgerald explains, but now this group is specifically concerned about a recent announcement from Brookhaven Town that although the landfill is slated for closure in 2024 the location may become an ashfill from burned waste and debris.
Find out what's happening in Patchoguewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"They haven't been transparent with plans to remediate the area," Fitzgerald says.
"We want it cleaned up and repurposed."
A public Zoom hearing was held on October 1 discussing the ashfill plans, and many opposition members voiced concerns.
"Landfills are something of the past. We want them to figure something else out —we need new ways to innovate," Fitzgerald said.
The group has launched an online petition and is organizing a "Community Stand Up!" event on Saturday, October 31st at 10 a.m. at the landfill.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.