NORTHFIELD – The Atlantic County Board of County Commissioners Tuesday evening unanimously approved expansion of the county’s landfill in Egg Harbor Township.
The vote came after numerous residents of nearby Gatherings at BelAire Lakes, an over 55 housing development in Absecon, testified that they have health issues that require hospitalization and vomit from breathing hydrogen sulfide coming from the landfill. The odor emanating from the landfill is negatively affecting their quality of life, residents said.
According to Atlantic County Utilities Authority President Matt DeNafo, maintaining affordable disposal rates for the county’s 250,000 taxpayers and responsibly meeting county’s growing waste management needs are the driving force behind a plan to expand the landfill.
The board voted to amend its Atlantic County Solid Waste Management Plan, which will be submitted to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for final approval. DeNafo said the DEP’s review would take about 18 months. The timeline is critical to ensure there is ample capacity for the county’s trash, he said.
“Atlantic County municipalities, residents, and businesses have depended on the affordable rates ACUA provides,” DeNafo said in a press release issued Wednesday morning. “This modification allows us to fully optimize our existing solid waste infrastructure to ensure cost-effective and environmentally responsible waste management for the next 15 years.”
The proposed modification would extend the landfill’s expected lifespan from 2029 to 2040. The modification would take place within the landfill’s existing footprint and fill a 5.74-acre area between two existing sections of the landfill. The height of the landfill would increase an additional 40 feet but would not be noticeable to the surrounding area.
“We’ve carefully evaluated this option alongside the financial and environmental costs of hauling waste out-of-county,” DeNafo said. “Extending the life of our existing landfill is the most responsible solution.”
DeNafo and Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson addressed complaints from residents noting that the landfill had been in operation long before the housing development was built and that the site was selected because there was ample vacant land around it and was located away from any homes.
A new subdivision is currently being built a short distance away in Egg Harbor Township between the landfill and Atlantic City International Airport.
In sharing the history of the county’s trash disposal system, DeNafo said the state-of-the-art, double-lined landfill opened in 1990 to replace numerous unlined, privately owned dumps that contaminated New Jersey communities, including nearby Price’s Pit, which is on the EPA’s list of superfund sites. The landfill operates with extensive lining, leachate collection, and monitoring systems specifically designed to protect the environment, he said.
Among these protections are ACUA’s extensive landfill gas collection and control system. ACUA has invested more than $22 million in the system, including nearly $8 million in the last two years alone. Investments in these proven measures have resulted in a 98% reduction in odor complaints, DeNafo said.
Following a wet winter and a well installation project, the ACUA received 129 odor complaints in 2024. After 42 wells were installed, along with new sumps and 16 acres of landfill cap, the ACUA started an RNG (renewable natural gas) extraction project. Those projects reduced odor complaints to just 20 in 2025 and two so far this year.
DeNafo touted the authority’s nationally recognized innovative operation, which includes becoming the first public landfill in the state to operate a Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Facility to collect and repurpose landfill gas into renewable energy.
“ACUA remains dedicated to exploring and implementing new technologies that will improve our operations, reduce our impact on the community and protect the surrounding environment,” he said.
The ACUA is pursuing waste conversion technology that could transform waste into an energy resource and provide a longer-term solution for waste management. ACUA is also renewing its waste reduction efforts through expanded recycling, composting, and reuse initiatives.
“While we work toward a long-term, circular waste management system, we must continue to responsibly manage the two million pounds of trash that’s produced every day in Atlantic County,” DeNafo said. “This modification will allow us to stabilize trash disposal costs while developing new solutions.”
After the public hearing on the ordinance, Commissioner Jim Bertino motioned to table adoption of the ordinance until the next meeting to give the commissioners time to investigate resident’s health concerns.
ACUA attorney Keith Davis said the people who spoke against adoption are plaintiffs in a legal suit against the ACUA, noting that action before the board will not have any impact on that litigation, which could take months or years to resolve.
“Those who live in the county can’t wait that long because of the capacity issues. We do not know what is going to be gained for tabling the ordinance for a month,” he said. “That’s the forum for their issues not here at the board.”
Bertino’s motion to table did not receive a second, and the motion to approve the expansion was approved unanimously.
For questions about the project, email [email protected] or visit www.acua.com/landfillmod.
Copyright Fideri News Network 2026
