It's Never Too Late

Danielle Jackson

As if opening a trash can that's been sitting around for a few days isn't bad enough, Pennsylvania's Lycoming County Landfill employees recently had to open a 28-foot semi-trailer filled with 27.8 tons of trash that had been sitting for nearly one year.

During an elaborate ceremony in which workers wore protective gear to guard against any hazardous waste, the trailer was opened. And instead of doubling over because of odors, the cleanup crew was pleasantly surprised to find that most of the trash had already decomposed.

The baled municipal solid waste then was buried in the disposal pit at the landfill, and the trailer was washed down thoroughly. Cleanup costs were charged to the state Department of Environmental Protection, and administrative rule violations were waived.

Why the rig was left unopened for nearly a year is another story. Last August, state police impounded the overweight tractor-trailer after stopping it on Interstate 80 for speeding. It then sat in a towing service storage lot for 11 months because no one had claimed it or knew where the trailer — probably carrying New York City garbage — was headed.

Source: Williamsport SunGazette