Opponents of the proposed expansion of the Seneca Meadows Landfill gathered Monday and urged state officials to deny the project and permanently close the site. The event, organized by Seneca Lake Guardian and Beyond Plastics, drew residents, environmental advocates and New York City Council Member Sandy Nurse as speakers pressed the State Department of Environmental Conservation to reject the landfill's proposal.

The proposal would allow a roughly 47-acre expansion and keep the landfill operating for another 15 years. Organizers said the site has already outlived its intended lifespan, and they linked the fight over Seneca Meadows to broader concerns about odors, truck traffic and pollution in nearby communities.

Seneca Meadows' operating permit expired Dec. 31, 2025, but the landfill continues operating while the DEC reviews its application under provisions of the State Administrative Procedure Act. That review has not moved forward to the next stage because the department has not yet deemed the landfill's latest Draft Environmental Impact Statement complete. Once it is accepted, the proposal will move into a formal public comment period.

The opposition was not framed only as an environmental fight. Organizers said the landfill threatens the Finger Lakes tourism, agriculture and wine industries, which they said support thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in annual economic activity. They also called on state lawmakers to pass the proposed Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act, arguing it would force large corporations to cut excess packaging, phase out toxic chemicals in packaging materials and help pay for local recycling and reuse programs.

For parents living near the site, the issue was immediate and personal. Sarah Mull, a Seneca Falls parent, said her children frequently smell the landfill while outside, at school and at home, and said children should not have to worry about what they are breathing. Michelle Grillone said odors from the landfill are regularly noticeable near schools and athletic fields, and said her children have experienced headaches and nausea.

The dispute now turns on whether state regulators will allow the landfill to advance at all. If the DEC accepts the environmental review, the expansion plan will enter public comment; if it does not, opponents may get the permanent closure they are demanding. Either way, Monday's gathering showed that for families and advocates around Seneca Falls, the landfill's future is still being fought over in public and in plain view.