Chicopee, Mass., Sanitary Landfill Closes

After 52 years of operation, the Chicopee, Mass., Sanitary Landfill has officially closed.

According to a Mass Live report, the landfill had been close to capacity for years, and after multiple extensions, this past January, the state Department of Environmental Protection extended the closing of the site one last time.

The report also notes that in anticipation of the loss of money due to the landfill closing, the city instituted a new curbside trash collection system in 2017 that limits residents to one 35-gallon barrel of trash a week. In addition, the city implemented a textile recycling program that allows residents to place items like old clothing, shoes and book bags in a specially marked pink bag to be picked up with curbside trash.

Mass Live has more details:

After three extensions, the Chicopee Sanitary Landfill officially closed for trash delivery on Friday.

The privately owned landfill off New Lombard Road, which is visible from the Massachusetts Turnpike near Exit 6, has been close to capacity for years. The original closure date was January 2018, but the closing was pushed back several times because the amount of waste taken in was less than expected.

In January 2019 the state Department of Environmental Protection agreed to extend the closing for the last time, announcing the landfill would cease accepting municipal solid waste in late June, said Catherine Skiba, service center manager for the department.

Read the full article here.