Meet the only person or entity which has spoken in favor of Synagro's proposed biosolids facility in Plainfield Township, after numerous meetings and a DEP hearing

Synagro has been shuffling its feet since October 2016, with a proposal to build a biosolids processing facility in Plainfield Township, on a small piece of property owned by Waste Management - property that is currently within the permitted bounds of Grand Central Sanitary Landfill.

That is almost 3 years, and in that time it feels like there have been perhaps 16 planning commission meetings and a DEP hearing (November 2018).  When time permits at a planning commission meeting, speakers are allowed at courtesy of the floor.  Let's say that at 10 of the 16 meetings citizens have spoken - and they always do when time permits.

Also, letters have been received from multiple towns regarding the facility - all in objection to it - Wind Gap, Pen Argyl, and Upper Mt Bethel Township and Lower Mt Bethel Township.  Washington Township sent its zoning officer to attend a few meetings, before they fired him because he was doing too good a job.

As the review of Synagro's land development plan finally near its end, it is reasonable to take a pulse to see how well the project fits into the community.  Not a single entity has endorsed this proposal, with the exception of course of Green Knight Economic Development Corporation.  At least as a whole... two members are believed to have resigned since the project was announced, fearing its impact on their standing in the community.  One member has been quoted as saying the proposal is "stupid".  It is said that Slate Belt Rising was asked by Waste Management to support the proposed facility, and since Slate Belt Rising mission is:

"to galvanize the boroughs of Wind Gap, Pen Argyl, Bangor, and Portland to capitalize on their shared heritage and traditions, the natural beauty of the Slate Belt, and the commercial potential provided by the proximity to major roadways in order to increase economic opportunity in the region, reduce poverty, eliminate blight, and improve the overall quality of life."

Slate Belt rising politely declined.  Slate Belt rising knows a pile of shit when they smell it.

Early in this process, former Bangor School Superintendent John Reinhardt submitted a succinct letter to the editor explaining just how bad the proposed facility would be for the Slate Belt region.

Meet the only public (but biased) supporter of Synagro's proposal

Nolin Perin - only person or unrelated organization

to have supported Synagro's proposal

Standing in front of RPM Recycling automobile waste (fluff)

A poll of attendees of planning commission meetings resulted in no one recalling a single speaker since October 2016 at courtesy of the floor speaking in favor of the proposal.  No organization has supported it.  Only one speaker - at the November 2018 DEP hearing - has said anything positive about it, Nolin Perin (son of landfill founder Robert Perin).  Here is the transcript of Mr. Perin's comments:

"MR. PERIN: Good evening. My name is Nolin Perin, and I reside at 253 Meadow Lane, Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania about a mile or so southeast from the proposed facility.  I have a lifelong involvement with the waste industry, landfill and waste hauling side of the business. We only have a few options now. We can recycle, have direct contact with the land as was done with mine reclamation. We can landfill it, or we can recycle it and turn it into useful products. While the last works fairly, well, it is limited to about half the days of the year due to weather consideration. And the sheer amount of materials excuse me a minute. And the sheer amount of land necessary for the landfill creates some other issues, exposing that water to the landfill and making it more contaminated. My  professional opinion is recycle material. These types of facilities reverse the process. My home is close to the proposed facility, and I have no personal objection to it being built, nor do I state an objection. In regard to health issues, I do not think the proposed facility is a threat. That facility has nothing to do with our communities.  Our friends and neighbors are working the sewage treatment plants, and we have several septic tanks in the area. Who's getting sick? What is being handled is raw sewage. I don't see anyone getting sick.

Thank you."

Mr. Perin is not concerned about processing 400 tons of sewage a day right next to a freshwater pond.  But he is hardly unbiased.  First of all, his son Scott Perin is in management at Waste Management, and is attending all the Synagro review meetings.  Mr. Perin has a self-described "lifelong involvement" with waste.   He knows waste like Santa Claus knows presents and reindeer.  He probably dreams about waste.  While this is not exactly a ringing endorsement ("I have no objection to it"), it is the closest thing to someone saying this proposal will be good for the community.   But he didn't say it would be good for the community.  That isn't close at all.  Contrast to niece Lisa Perin, who gave planners and the audience an earful of reasons the proposed plant will be bad for the community when she spoke at a meeting.  Ms. Perin isn't fulfilled by waste - she is a Realtor.

Mr. Perin's apparent lack of concern for water quality is not new

The picture above of Mr. Perin was taken when he was a partner in RPM Recycling (now RPM Metals under different ownership) in Wind Gap with Joseph Raimo and George Miller, which ground up vehicles to reclaim metal.  The shredded "fluff" that results contains all kinds of toxic materials.  Mercury, is one example.  RPM cited the cost involved to completely strip vehicles before shredding as an excuse of why propane cylinders concealed in vehicles were frequently causing explosions that irritated residents, so it is not clear how completely vehicles were prepared to reduce toxins.  Fluff is hot after grinding, so piles of the stuff are a hazard and spontaneously combust and there have been fires at the facility.  RPM stated in its development plan that fluff would be removed in roll-off containers - no provision was made or approved to store it on site... or stockpile it next door.

In 2011, the following pictures were taken on a lot that Mr. Perin's company NAPER owns, as well as a lot that Grand Central Sanitation owns, which are adjacent to the RPM facility.  This is a former L&NE rail yard - nice and long and flat and a great place to stockpile fluff if it were not toxic and a huge fire hazard.  The first picture shows the direction and location of the four pictures that follow.  RPM's facility is on the left.  The red lines enclose rows of fluff 15-20' tall that are over a thousand feet long in total (scale is shown).  Note that in View 3, cattails are visible between rows of fluff; cattails are found in hydric soils and wetlands.

View 1 - RPM equipment seen at rear

View 2

View 3

View 4

The Plainfield Township Zoning Officer issued a violation notice, to which Mssrs. Perin and Raimo sent replies.  Mr. Raimo cites the reason for stockpiling fluff, is that to make more money RPM wishes to reprocess it.  Incredibly, he argues that it "would be very ungreen" to not get the last bit of metal from the waste.  But it certainly isn't "green" to leave it on the ground for months, leeching untold amounts of toxins into surface water and the ground.  The only green that is of concern here is obvious.

Notice of violation - stockpiling of flammable materials

Mr, Perin's response

Mr. Raimo's response

Plainfield Township issued a cease and desist order to RPM Recycling in 2012 over the unpermitted stockpiling of fluff.

The total lack of support over almost 3 years shows Synagro's project is in fact "stupid".  It has been proven that it isn't green, which was the calling card used to justify its existence.  Stupid on a good day, a real nuisance and threat to the quality of life of our residents otherwise.  A majority of voting members of Green Knight went along with this plan - possibly under duress since their contract for their facility with Waste Management was renewed after this project was announced.  The only person or entity who on paper is not connected with the project, and who supports it, is the son of the host landfill's founder and a self described lifelong manipulator of waste.

Slate Belt Rising is made up of people who travel in the same circle as Green Knights, but it isn't tied at the hip to Waste Management like Green Knights is.  Do the math.