Salem County Commissioners Unanimously Reject Waste Facility After Community Pushback
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was produced as part of the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University’s South Jersey Information Equity Project fellowship and supported with funding from the Independence Public Media Foundation, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and the NJ Civic Information Consortium.
BY FRANK SANTOS | South Jersey Information Equity Project
SALEM — In a unanimous 5–0 vote earlier this month, the Salem County Board of Commissioners rejected a proposal for a 100,000 square foot waste processing facility during their Thursday night meeting at the Davidow Theatre at Salem Community College. The decision followed weeks of local opposition and a vocal crowd of residents at the meeting urging the board to vote “no.”
The proposed Giordano Companies facility would have processed 100 tons of solid waste each day, delivered by up to 100 trucks to a site on Tilbury Road. That site is the former Salem City Landfill, which was closed in the early 1990s and capped in 1996 using 1.9 million tons of recycled soil by Soil Safe. The project raised alarm among residents due to the location’s sensitive environmental history and the additional burden it would place on Salem’s already fragile infrastructure.
One of the primary concerns centered on the safety risks associated with the increase in truck traffic. Tilbury Road is a narrow and already worn-down roadway that also serves school bus routes and residential neighborhoods. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 83 percent of fatal crashes involving large trucks occurred on weekdays, when school and commuter traffic are at their peak.
Environmental concerns were also front and center. Residents worried about pollution from the trucks and facility operations contributing to air quality issues and soil contamination. Research from the Environmental Protection Agency indicates that transportation emissions contribute significantly to air pollution, including particulate matter that can worsen asthma, heart disease, and other health problems.
Dana Gainer, a Salem City resident and property owner, appealed to the commissioners to protect the city’s legacy. “We have 350 years of history, are you going to throw that away? If we soil it by agreeing to this facility, we lose those 350 years of precious history,” she said.
Many residents also criticized the process, saying that the facility’s proximity to schools, recreational areas, and densely populated neighborhoods was not disclosed clearly in public notices. The meeting itself was held outside city limits, which some interpreted as a deliberate move to make it harder for low-income residents to attend and speak out.
The site sits just one mile from where more than half of Salem City’s population lives. While Giordano Companies claimed the project would bring 20 to 40 jobs, residents pushed back against the idea that this facility would solve Salem’s economic issues. Some expressed concern that the waste facility would make the city less appealing to future business owners and civic investors, and that property values could decline further.
Adding to the tension was recent news involving industrial pollution in Salem County. In early May, 3M agreed to a 450 million dollar settlement with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection over PFAS contamination linked to a facility it supplied in Salem County. Many residents see the county as a recurring target for environmental risk and neglect.
Mayor Jody Veler voiced support for the economic opportunity but acknowledged the controversy. “I understand all the EJ issues but a rising tide lifts all boats,” she said, referring to the potential for job creation.
But commissioners ultimately sided with public health and environmental safety concerns. “I’m concerned about the safety, concerned about the health of our community, and especially concerned for the quality of life in Salem County,” said Benjamin Laury, Director of the Salem County Board of Commissioners.
Residents left the meeting with a rare sense of victory, though many remain watchful. For a city that has long carried the weight of industrial pollution, Thursday night’s vote marked a turning point in reclaiming some control over its future.
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