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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT: Nicole
Reigelman |
State Rep. Jim Wansacz |
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Wansacz introduces plan to direct landfill locations
HARRISBURG, April 19 -- State Rep. Jim Wansacz is aiming to limit the potential of landfills to infringe on the peace and tranquility of Pennsylvania’s most solemn sites -- cemeteries.
Wansacz, D-Lackawanna/Luzerne/Susquehanna/Wyoming, said a bill he introduced (H.B. 1123) would prohibit landfills from being located within a half mile of a cemetery. Landfills can have an adverse impact on communities where they are located, including odors, noise, traffic and possible pollution, Wansacz said.
“Landfills don’t make good neighbors,” Wansacz said. “While we can’t eliminate them altogether, we can place them strategically where they will cause the least social damage.
“This bill would protect the integrity of our state’s sacred spaces by preventing landfills from moving in too close to cemeteries.”
Wansacz added that it is unacceptable to imagine a burial ceremony, or friends and family visiting a grave site, disrupted by the noise of truck traffic, machinery or blasting.
The representative’s legislation outlines a strategy for municipal waste planning, which would allow landfills to locate in areas where they would be least disruptive and cause minimal harm to the surrounding environment.
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