Preparing to protest at the landfill

The Brookhaven Landfill, located in North Bellport, will be the location of a demonstration held by the Landfill Remediation Group on Halloween. The protest is in reference to the frustration by the group and the local residents for a proposed ashfill. 

A significant portion of North Bellport’s population is made up of minorities, and members representing the Landfill Remediation Group say the placement of the landfill/ashfill needs to be looked at from an environmental justice point of view.

The group has been sporting the phrase “Close Means Close” in reference to the reiteration from the Town of Brookhaven that the landfill will close in 2024, when it is capped. The group has held multiple calls to action, in which residents would call their respective councilperson as well as the supervisor of the Town of Brookhaven.

Now, the Landfill Remediation Group plans to have a protest on Oct. 31. 

There was initially a 30-day comment period that began on Oct. 1, the day of the scoping meeting, and ended on Nov. 2. That comment period was extended after several requests from the community to a 60-day comment period that ends on Dec. 2.

“Given the importance of this project to our town of almost 500,000 people, the difficulties facing residents during this unprecedented pandemic, and the technical nature of this project, this extension is necessary to insure that a broad public can provide informed public input,” reads a letter from the Landfill Remediation Group addressed to town supervisor Ed Romaine, councilman Michael Loguercio and principal environmental analyst Peter Fountaine.