Piney Orchard Board Votes to Oppose Rubble Landfill

The Piney Orchard Community Association (POCA) voted Monday night to oppose at the end of Capitol Raceway in Crofton and urged members of the community to attend a public hearing on the matter this Thursday.

POCA’s board voted unanimously against the proposal by Tolson & Associates to build a 72-acre landfill within a mile of homes in Piney Orchard and Four Seasons. The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE)

Board members cited concerns over traffic, noise and smell, as well as the potential for pollution of groundwater.

“People need to realize this is a serious thing and their voices need to be heard,” POCA board president Jeff Andrade said. “A rubble landfill [operating] for 20 years in a growing residential area just makes no sense.”

Andrade said he planned to testify at Thursday’s public hearing and information session held by the MDE. The session will begin at 6 p.m. at Crofton Elementary School.

Andrade said he hoped Piney Orchard residents would attend the session and also urged them to call local legislators.

The Tolson & Associates landfill would be adjacent to a closed landfill once operated by Cunningham Excavating, Inc. The MDE previously rejected plans by Cunningham to expand its landfill to the site now being considered by Tolson.   

Here's a rough map of the landfill and the surrounding area.