The Grand Central Sanitary Landfill has won a significant step in its yearslong effort to expand its footprint and accept more garbage.
A divided Plainfield Township Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 Wednesday to change the zoning of 212 acres across from the existing landfill off Route 512 from agricultural to become a solid waste processing and disposal district.
The vote happened after more than five hours, during which supervisors heard from many in an audience estimated at approximately 200 people who filled the Plainfield Volunteer Fire Co. hall off Sullivan Trail.
A similar request by Grand Central, which is owned by WM of Houston, formerly Waste Management, was shot down in 2020 by supervisors. Even though the proposal considered Wednesday was largely the same, the board has changed; only Glenn Borger remains on the five-member board, and he and Supervisor Kenneth Fairchild voted against the zoning law change.
Borger made a motion to postpone a vote, but the motion died for lack of a second.
“We were promised it was cap and go, and here we are,” said Borger, meaning that Grand Central had planned to close the landfill years ago.
Most of the 40 people who commented Wednesday evening were against the rezoning and oppose the expansion over health, environmental and other concerns. They said granting approval would mean accepting trash for at least another 20 more years.
Other speakers and some supervisors said Grand Central has been a valuable asset in the community, and at least two people said the land being taken solely for trash disposal is minuscule.
“It’s already here and it has been here for a long time,” said supervisors Chair Ken Field, who joined board members Nolan Kemmerer and Jonathan Itterly in voting yes. “In a township with 16,000 acres, we are asking to allow for 80 acres.”
The expected large crowd led officials to bring in five Slate Belt Regional Police officers. But the meeting, while at times emotionally charged and laced with criticisms against some elected officials, was by and large civil.
The rezoned area boundaries for Grand Central’s proposed enlargement are Pen Argyl Road to the west, Delabole Road to the south, Bocce Club Road to the north, and a rail right-of-way to the east.
Grand Central’s expansion request needs other approvals from the township. The company is seeking to allow zoning law changes to be permitted “by right” instead of under conditional use, and to allow construction on steep slopes. Supervisors will meet 6 p.m. Sept. 10 to hear those requests.
Grand Central has said the existing landfill across Pen Argyl Road has a few years left of disposal life, and assuming the township approves the other zoning changes, it would set in place moves by the company to acquire the land it wants rezoned and file a formal application toward expansion with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
In existence since 1951, Grand Central is one of three landfills in Northampton County. Bethlehem Landfill in Lower Saucon Township — which also is seeking to expand — and Chrin in Williams Township are the others.
This story will be updated.
Contact Morning Call reporter Anthony Salamone at asalamone@mcall.com.
https://www.mcall.com/2025/08/28/grand-central-landfill-expansion-3/
