EPA Provides Update on Ohio Cleanup

A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency- supervised cleanup of the Warren Recycling Inc. landfill in Warren, Ohio, is expected to be completed by next month. A meeting to update area residents about the project and discuss next steps will be held May 23 in Leavittsburg.

The year-long, $4 million effort, paid for by EPA, addressed a number of environmental concerns associated with operations at the landfill. Of primary concern to the nearby residential community: control of hazardous releases of foul-smelling hydrogen sulfide gas. With this now under control, EPA will turn over the project to Ohio EPA and the Warren Board of Health, which will continue to work to bring the facility into full regulatory compliance.

The cleanup was managed by EPA's Westlake, Ohio-based Superfund emergency response team in consultation with Ohio EPA. The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and the Ohio Department of Health spearheaded a study to determine if there was a need for the cleanup. Our Lives Count, a local community organization formed in 2002 to raise awareness of issues at the landfill, provided valuable input and community outreach support to the partner agencies.