High Acres Landfill and Recycling Center, owned and operated by Waste Management of NY LLC, has been part of the Perinton community for 50 years. Established in 1971, High Acres Landfill is located on the eastern edge of Monroe County in the Town of Perinton and crosses over the western border of Wayne County in the Town of Macedon. The 1,200-acre property includes a renewable energy plant, nature/trail area, fire department training facility, police range, a compost recycling area, a residential drop-off station, and approximately 360-acres of permitted landfill area. The Facility has prided itself on its’ exemplary environmental and stewardship record, as well as being a good neighbor and corporate citizen. The estimated remaining site life has been calculated to be approximately 33 years.
On December 22nd, 2021, Perinton Supervisor Ciaran Hanna announced that the Town of Perinton has approved a New 5 -Year Host Community Agreement (HCA) for High Acres Landfill. This HCA outlines the protections and benefits provided to the residents of the Town of Perinton for hosting High Acres Landfill. This new, 5-year HCA includes enhanced accountability, added protections, increased community value, and a renewed focus on environmental sustainability for the benefit of our community and local residents.
Several key measures make Perinton’s new Host Community Agreement more stringent, comprehensive, and robust than any previous agreement between the Town and Waste Management, including:
- Limiting the volume of MSW (Municipal Solid Waste/household garbage) received by rail from the five (5) Boroughs of NYC to 50% (537,000 tons) of the annual permitted volume of MSW allowed to be landfilled at High Acres.
- Limiting “aged” waste from being accepted and disposed of at High Acres Landfill. Specifically, any MSW waste received at the landfill by rail from the NYC five (5) Boroughs must not be greater than seven (7) days aged – as defined from a transfer station to the working face at High Acres.
- Limiting the volume of highly odorous waste. Specifically, bio-solids (coming into High Acres Landfill from Monroe County’s VanLare Wastewater Treatment Plant) to no more than 5% or 70,000 tons per year – a 50% reduction.
- A new robust Property Value Protection Program will safeguard the property market values of more than 1,300 homes within the vicinity of the landfill. A table of actionable thresholds that will hold Waste Management accountable for off-site odors, requiring they provide written justification to the Town for undue odors and identify mitigative steps to address off-site odors.
- High Acres will conduct the most stringent monitoring for H2S (hydrogen sulfide/rotten egg smell) at any Landfill in New York State, which involves continuous air monitoring for H2S at three (3) locations around the landfill.
- Quarterly surface scanning of the landfill cover, including side-slopes, for methane. Actionable thresholds for cover integrity repairs have been established at 200 ppm, which is twice the regulatory requirement and not done at any other landfill in NY.
- Restrictions on landfill operations based on atmospheric and meteorological conditions to reduce odors.
- WM must continue to fund a NYS DEC mandated local odor notification hotline that is accessible 24/7. This notification hotline will automatically deploy a trained and certified responder to evaluate odor type, intensity, duration, and location extent in real-time.
- Establishment of a new Citizen Advisory Committee to increase public input and engagement.
Click here to view the new 5-year host community agreement on the Perinton.org website.
Going forward, to ensure High Acres ongoing commitments and monitoring are being satisfied, WMNY staff will continue to meet and provide up-to-date communications with Perinton and NYSDEC on a regular basis, to review operations and ensure the status of on-going mitigation measures. WM takes the communities we serve and operate in very seriously and is committed to a community based environmental vision. WM looks forward to continuing our strong working partnership with Perinton for many years to come.