Creating A Healthier Future For Our Communities
The Rensselaer Environmental Coalition (REC) was formed because a gigantic industrial operation, the Dunn Construction and Demolition (C&D) Landfill, was approved to be sited in the city of Rensselaer NY, right next to a school and close to residential neighborhoods.
Now Is The Time To Speak Up And Call For The Closure of Dunn Landfill
Use the embedded widget below to send a message directly to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation with your concerns to help build a strong case for the denial of Dunn Landfill’s permit renewals.
Permit Renewal Process Update
Based on DEC’s Uniform Procedures Act, the review process has been extended as of 2/27/24.
The latest response to comments submitted by residents in August 2023, may be viewed here:
https://cdn.wasteconnections.com/cms/sa-dunn-landfill/Dunn%20Responsiveness%2002272024.pdf
Engineer’s Traffic Study
The City of Rensselaer submitted a traffic study conducted by the City Engineer to NYS DEC on November 18, 2022. The report highlights all of the safety and traffic issues trucks going to and from the Dunn facility cause within the community.
https://rensselaerenvironmentalcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/EngineerReport.pdf
Elementary School and Dump with climbing gym even closer to the dump.
Drone Shot of Dump in Relation to Community
For additional details on location, click this link.
Photo by John Lyden
A tractor trailer passes children waiting for their school bus on Partition Street.
The Beginning
In 2012, despite documented concerns of Rensselaer and East Greenbush residents, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) permitted the Dunn Landfill to open its 99-acre site next door to a Pre-K thru 12 public school housing over 1,100 students and hundreds of teachers and staff. This massive operation is also located in the middle of residential neighborhoods in Rensselaer and East Greenbush.
This preposterous decision allows up to 100 noisy, long-haul tractor trailer trucks per day, each weighing up to 117,000 pounds, to bring construction debris from seven states through the heart of residential neighborhoods and dump it next to a school. Hydrogen sulfide odors (rotten egg smell) from rotting wallboard, diesel exhaust, loud noise and dust constantly impact the quality of life and threaten the health of residents. Emissions from landfills like Dunn not only produce odor problems, but also can result in major health impacts in the surrounding community, including nausea, vomiting, respiratory problems, depression, stress, and personality changes.
Do you have an issue with Dunn Landfill being so close in our community? Let us know!
Since this decision, Waste Connections, a Texas-based corporation who bought out Dunn, has made political donations to the Rensselaer Democratic Party and Assemblyman John McDonald. To make matters worse, Rensselaer Environmental Coalition discovered that the school board agreed to accept $125,000 a year from this giant corporation to supplement the school’s budget. Waste Connections recently contributed $10,000 to the school sports program and has offered to match donations up to $75,000 for the school sports program. This C&D operation is doing everything it can to guarantee it will be here for years as it has the acreage to operate until at least 2036.
Citizens whose rights were ignored in this process have banded together with the help of environmental advocates and concerned citizens from neighboring communities to build sustainable opposition to the continued operation of this landfill and to obtain environmental justice for local residents. We are Rensselaer Environmental Coalition (REC). We are fighting a Goliath and we need your help.
Our Involvement
Since our formation, we have engaged in a variety of activities to get this landfill closed. This includes engaging in door-to-door petition and letter-signing campaigns, holding news conferences and issuing news releases, writing letters to the editor, organizing rallies and protests, conducting truck censuses, joining an online odor complaint website, meeting with the DEC and state representatives, obtaining a grant from the Center for Health and Environmental Justice and joining The Hudson Mohawk Environmental Action Network.
The permit for the landfill is up for renewal this year. We aim to do all that we can to prevent this permit from being renewed. Click Here to view the application status.
Our group is also working to prevent a garbage processing facility, BioHiTech, from operating in the southern end of Rensselaer. This facility would operate on top of a toxic waste site and bring even more truck traffic to Rensselaer.
Photo by Chris Kielb
We Want To Protect
This website aims to strengthen support in order to protect citizens and the environment from pollution, illness, chronic exposure to hazardous substances, and the destruction of our lives by a big-money corporation. This landfill was brought into existence with the assistance of the State of New York, which did not adequately consider its effect on our quality of life and health. We need Governor Hochul to to take action to close the Dunn Landfill for the health and safety of the public.
We Have Political Support
Our cause has political support. Rensselaer Mayor Mike Stammel was elected in 2019 on a platform that opposes the operation of the landfill. In March of 2020 the entire town board of the neighboring Town of East Greenbush voted to support the immediate closure of the landfill. The board passed a second resolution in 2021. In 2021, the Rensselaer Common Council also passed a resolution. In December 2021, the Rensselaer County Legislature passed a resolution introduced by Legislator, Brian Stall. This issue has also received extensive coverage by the local media outlets and at times by national media. Our members have written numerous letters to the editor, and the Albany Times Union has published numerous editorials opposing this landfill.
Environmental Allies
The work of the Rensselaer Environmental Coalition wouldn’t be possible without the support of our Environmental allies. Each group has helped REC with funding, legal representation and most importantly, building our platform to close the Dunn Landfill through research as well as responsive action.
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery next to the dump.
Photo by Chris Kielb
Dust blowing across school property from dump.
A drawing done by an elementary school student.