Neighbors upset over expansion plans for Anson County landfill

ANSON COUNTY, N.C. — Plans for expansion at Anson’s County landfill have neighbors up in arms who say they don’t want the smell to get even worse.

People from out of town are taking advantage of the landfill’s cheap prices and bringing their trash in.

Neighbors now want state leaders to step in.

The landfill sits along Highway 74, not far from where resident Thomasina Montgomery lives.

“You can tell its some kind of a gas,” Montgomery said.

She has been living in the area long before the landfill became her neighbor. Montgomery once saw it as progress but now sees too many other communities offloading their waste, leading to the suffering of residents’ quality of life.

“You know, we don’t want to be a dumping ground,” Montgomery said.

The company that runs the landfill submitted plans to the state that would almost double its capacity. It would go from 21.6 cubic yards to 41.5 million cubic yards.

The mountain of garbage could tower 70 feet higher, which is almost the height of an 11-story building.

Polkton town councilman Clifton Martin says the landfill stench is out of control and doubling its size would surely make it worse.

“That’s my biggest issue with the landfill,” Martin said. “If its out of compliance with the law we can smell it here in town, and some mornings it’s very strong.”

Martin says the landfill is a job creator, but he also thinks Anson County is getting the rotten end of the deal.

“We are seeing trash coming all the way up from the coast every single day,” Martin said.

He would also like to see county commissioners raise the landfill’s price.

“I don’t think Anson county is charging enough in regards to fees that other landfill charge,” Martin said. “It’s a fraction of what other facilities charge.”

Channel 9 reached out to the Anson County manager about the plans to expand landfill but we have not heard back. There is a community hearing tomorrow on the landfill at 6:30. It will be at the Anson County courthouse.

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