Countywide Landfill, Recycling and Disposal Facility

Media Advisory

November 7, 2007

Tim Vandersall	Will Flower
General Manager	Corporate
Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility	Republic Services, Inc.
Telephone: 330-874-3855	Telephone: 954-288-0388

As you know, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) Director Chris Korleski will hold a public meeting on Thursday, November 8. In advance of that meeting, we want to respond to some of the items reported recently in the news and to invite you to talk with Tim Vandersall or Will Flower prior to or immediately following the meeting to confirm any facts.

In response to recent news items, we offer the following:

Countywide does not pose any threat to the public health or to human safety. Repeated, scientific testing by the OEPA, the Canton City Health Department (CCHD), the Stark County Health Department and independent experts have confirmed and re-confirmed this time and time again. In addition, this notion is not substantiated in any way in the documentation provided by the JSWD. Also, Director Korleski reiterated this in a statement issued on November 2.
With regard to ambient air, ambient air has been tested many times by the CCHD, which is unequivocally this region's air testing authority. The CCHD has tested for VOCs, including benzene, and found that levels are well within the normal range and pose no threat to health and human safety. To imply that these tests have not been completed is erroneous.
Countywide has not been requested by the OEPA or the USEPA to conduct additional ambient air testing but will absolutely abide by any and all orders requested of us, as we have for more than a year, fully meeting every requirement of the OEPA's Findings & Orders of September 2006 and March 28, 2007.
Because the OEPA is the regulatory agency for our landfill, we do indeed have a relationship with the OEPA, one which is necessary and important due to the volumes of analytical data that transpires between us for interpretive purposes on a daily basis. We have ongoing contact with both the OEPA's Central office and its NEDO and are on good working terms with both. Though we are not aware of internal discussions, e-mails and memos, the complexity of the issues at hand are certain to lead to debate among the many scientists and engineers studying the incident. To date, there has been very little experience with aluminum dross reactions and we appreciate and encourage discussions that bring us to the best conclusion.
With regard to involvement by the USEPA, it should be noted that the USEPA was at Countywide less than one month ago. Because the agency's experience with the handling of aluminum dross is limited, they are collecting data from our site to use as a case study for landfills across the country. Countywide is open to additional involvement.
As a result of these recent news items, progress at our facility is being overshadowed by the attention given to these rumors.

The truth is:

Countywide experienced an isolated incident of a chemical reaction in a non-operational section of the landfill that caused disruptive odors for residents within a certain radius of the landfill.
Countywide acknowledged the problem and properly and proactively notified the OEPA. We also investigated the issues and determined a course of action for remediation. The course of action was finalized by the OEPA in a series of Findings & Orders.
Countywide has remedied the odor problem. Odors are for the most part nonexistent except for times when we are drilling at the site. This is not our opinion - it is fact according to reports from an independent consultant. Complaints have decreased significantly. In late 2006, we investigated about 15 complaints per week that registered a "4" or above on the Nasal Ranger scale. Currently, it is rare for any readings rise to this level.
We have complied with all requirements and orders of the OEPA and continue to work closely with the OEPA to ensure the proper response and remediation at Countywide.
We have addressed every issue, even the most obscure, such as the theory that the site was going to slide onto Interstate 77. Inclinometers installed on the west slope at the request of the OEPA found no evidence of instability that could impact I 77. This conclusion was supported by the OEPA at the October 5 Joint Solid Waste District meeting by Kurt Princic, OEPA's environmental manager of the Division of Hazardous Waste and Solid and Infectious Waste Management in Twinsburg. We have addressed these issues openly and honestly with the public, the news media and all regulatory agencies.
All indications are that the site is safe and environmentally sound. The site is stable. Air quality sampling proves there are no health concerns. The liner and leachate protection systems are in tact and functioning properly.