Firm Finds Hope in Rescued Landfills

Jeff Dey’s goal is to own up to 100 landfills within the next 100 years. 

Huh?  

Not the typical aspiration of most South Jersey businessmen. 

But, Dey (pronounced dī) and his Moorestown-based team are among those who see the redevelopment of landfills in South Jersey as a sustainable and cost-effective concept for the municipalities and counties that own them.  

“We investigate the landfill, which might mean testing the ground water and soil,” Dey says, “and we come up with a cleanup plan that fits.” 

Chief Executive Officer Dey, 49, sits at the pinnacle of holding and management company Resource Renewal, LLC, which comprises three principal firms, each with its own president: Resource Control Consultants, LLC (RCC), Bryan Emilius; Land Resource Solutions, LLC (LRS), Trevan Houser; and Blue Lightning Underground Enterprises, LLC (Blue), John Mateo. 

A fourth principal company is on the drawing boards.

Each company specializes in an area of environmental engineering, underground technology or landfill remediation in their respective markets.

The beauty of landfills

There are nearly 845 identified landfills in New Jersey, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

“Before the regulations were in place, New York City brought their garbage to New Jersey. Philadelphia brought their garbage to New Jersey,” Dey says. “Finally, New Jersey said 'no more.'"

As of 2008, each American discarded nearly four pounds of trash a day—much of it edible—according to the Clean Air Council's latest records. 

In an ideal world, every piece of trash would have an intrinsic and organic potential for new life. But that’s unlikely.

But, according to Dey, landfills really aren’t that bad.

“Some garbage is good for the soil,” Dey says, explaining that gas stations and dry cleaners can be much worse for the environment. 

From Earth's earliest days, every fallen tree or dead animal has become part of the ecosystem. 

“We’re feeding microbes and a natural composting takes place, which is good for the soil,” Dey adds.

From trash to riches

By gaining possession of Superfund sites and brownfields—properties usually abandoned because of perceived environmental contamination—Dey can remediate ignored land and put it back into economic circulation.

It’s a business model that works for Dey and his companies. While corporations who own landfills typically do not get tax breaks, there are incentives to cleanup.

“If my company redevelops a brownfield property, including a landfill,” Dey explains, “there are usually state and sometimes federal tax reduction programs that can motivate the redevelopment of brownfield properties.”

“We have been able to help our clients get grants under landfill loan and grant programs,” he adds, although recently some funds have been depleted and temporarily frozen.

In September, one of Dey's companies, LRS, led by Houser, surveyed a 40-acre parcel of land in Hamilton Township, Mercer County—the site of a landfill—for cleanup and development. 

Within the next two years, Dey says LRS is hoping to acquire the site, clean it up and redevelop it.

“We may install some type of renewable energy,” Dey says—like solar panels mounted atop the landfill. 

Hamilton Township received a $400,000 grant from the state Economic Development Authority’s Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund for the project. 

Redevelopment and going green in Moorestown

A Delaware native, Dey grew up in Hockessin and graduated from the University of Delaware with a degree in geology. He worked for Groundwater Technology as a geologist for seven years. When Dey left he was working as the territory manager for southern New Jersey.

After he and his wife, Maura Holley Dey, moved to Rancocas in 1993, Dey started his business on his dining room table.

“My wife is a nurse and supported us until I got things going,” Dey says. 

The family—including four kids— eventually moved to Moorestown, and in 2009, the firm moved into their current offices at 30 Twosome Drive in the industrial complex off Church Street.

Last week, members of Moorestown’s Environmental Advisory Committee and Economic Development Advisory Committee boasted . 

The exclusive club helps municipalities take steps to go green, save money, and engage quality-of-life sustainability.

Earlier this year, Dey says his company approached Moorestown Township Council about acquiring the fenced-in brownfield at 331 New Albany Road.

Dey says the 24-acre tract once was the former site of Pulverizing Services, Inc., and there are probably fertilizers and chemicals in the soil. His company could remediate the grounds.

But according to Dey, any significant enthusiasm from council members waned.

“We still want to work with the town as a redeveloper if they are interested,” Dey says. “Possibly, it could be turned into open space.”