Frey Farm Landfill has 14 years of capacity left

Evan Popalis
·2 min read

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — It may take some time for any physical changes to develop, but the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority (LCSWMA) is searching for its next landfill.

The clock is ticking on the Frey Farm Landfill in southwest Lancaster County.

“We probably have capacity until 2038,” said Bob Zorbaugh, LCSWMA CEO.

That’s why LCSWMA is looking at other options, including one right next door.

“Can we reuse an old landfill which is right next door to the Frey Farm Landfill, which is a Creswell landfill?” Zorbaugh said.

It’s tough to tell. Creswell has been closed for more than three decades, and in 1986 zoning approval was obtained for the Creswell landfill for the PPL power line corridor.

The corridor split the landfill into two pieces.

“So there was waste buried on either side of the power line. And then years went by, we’re over at Frey Farm and then PPL wanted to relocate their tower line,” Zorbaugh said

That led to LCSWMA buying the strip to complete the puzzle.

Now, the waste authority has three options, (1) try to work something out at the Creswell landfill, (2) find a new location in the county to start fresh, or (3) send the waste to a different county or state.

But returning to Creswell may be preferred.

“This will certainly be a strong option,” Zorbaugh said.

It’s still over a decade away but Zorbaugh says the whole process could take about a decade.

abc27 spoke with neighbors near the Creswell landfill. Most have been pleased with the transparency of the waste authority.

“As a neighbor of the landfill for the last 10 years, they have been honest and up front with us. We have always felt comfortable here,” said local resident Hans Weber.

“We kind of have formed a relationship with those people where we respect them,” Zorbaugh said. “I hope now they respect us and we agree to discuss this moving forward, if something is going to happen out there.”

LCSWMA hosts a once-a-year meeting with the residents near the landfills to inform them. The next Waste Authority Board meeting is on April 19.

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