HOUSTON – Residents in northwest Houston say the idea of expanding a landfill near their homes is a “disastrous idea.”
The Hawthorn Park Landfill has reportedly been in the area for the past 30 years and its owners are now looking to expand it in an effort to hold more waste.
Neighbor Victor Herbert grows crops in his backyard and says the landfill is beginning to contaminate the soil, causing damage to his food.
Most of the residents in the Carverdale area are minorities and say they are furious.
“We are a minority, Black and brown neighborhood and we feel like if this is allowed to happen here, with landfills that are full, instead of closing them, now they will build a mountainous trash heap on top of that landfill,” resident Myra Jefferson said.
“Human life is at stake here,” Herbert added.
The company that owns the landfill, Waste Management, provided the following statement:
“The Hawthorn Park Landfill is a regional facility that provides sade and convenient disposal services for communities, businesses, and industries serving Harris County. This facility is engineered with the environmental protection systems that meet or exceed v vigorous government regulations and is subject to highly regulated monitoring and reporting requirements.”
The Texas Commission on Environmental Equality still has to approve the company’s plan.