New York does not know exactly how much trash is getting recycled or thrown into landfills according to an audit released Monday by state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli's office.

Efforts to track NY's recycling waste stream have fallen short

New York does not know exactly how much trash is getting recycled or thrown into landfills according to an audit released Monday by state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli's office.

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Toxic underground fires spreading at California landfills https://www.newstribune.com/news/2026/aug/07/toxic-underground-fires-spreading-at-california/ (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49250090)

Toxic underground fires spreading at California landfills | Jefferson City News-Tribune

LOS ANGELES -- Three years ago, environmental regulators discovered garbage burning deep inside the Chiquita Canyon Landfill in the Santa Clarita Valley. Few imagined the calamity that would follow.

newstribune.com

A byproduct of our failure to effectively recycle is an overreliance on landfills. REC continues to call for the passage of the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act.

“We have built system that requires landfills to contain their toxic leachate, only to allow that same pollution to be discharged through sewage treatment plants, often into drinking water supplies.”

Report: Buffalo has 3rd highest level of water contamination in New York, Jamestown 5th

Western New York communities have among the highest levels of drinking water contamination in the state, according to a new report, with more than 45 million gallons in Buffalo annually.

btpm.org

Leachate can contain plastics, chemicals, toxic metals, PFAs, Pesticides and more. The report finding about 1/3 of the 523 million gallons was discharged into drinking water sources. Municipal filtration systems then are tasked with making sure the water is safe to drink.

New York River Watch talks new report: "The Leachate Loophole in New York State"

YouTube video by CBS6 Albany

youtube.com

The Threat of Landfill Leachate to Drinking Water in New York State: A Project of New York River Watch leachateloophole.org

If you are interested in the fact that dangerous PFA-tainted leachate is going untreated into the Hudson River and other rivers and lakes in New York killing fish ,wildlife, threatening the drinking water of 100's of thousands of people, and creating other untold damage, look at our recent posts.

REC is extremely concerned about the NYSDEC concept of putting residual leachate treatment in a landfill. The idea of solving a PFA issue in one part of the environment, by creating another one in landfills, is not reasonable nor prudent. Seems to be an option of convenience to finish regulations.

A Buffalo News review of NY DEC records found 154 Air State Facilities operating under air pollution permits with no expiration dates – some issued in the 1990s and early 2000s – including 33 in WNY. Some have not been inspected in more than a decade.

'Troubling trend': Dozens of WNY facilities operate under old air quality permits

That leaves residents near those facilities with a basic unanswered question: Do the pollution limits written into old permits reflect what is actually coming from smokestacks today?

buffalonews.com

Good news alert! New Yorkers like you took action for clean water and your reps in both the NYS Senate & Assembly passed the bill for state-level protections from toxic PFAS "forever chemicals in drinking water." The bill is now on to the Governor for signing ✍️ Thank you to everyone who spoke up

Interesting interview about the Leachate Loophole - landfill trash water - that is essentially dumped into our rivers. This toxic stew needs to be taken care of properly, and not blended with sewage. #PFAS #Mohawk #Hudson Green Radio hour: Jon Bowermaster www.radiokingston.org/en/broadcast...

We need to protect the health of our residents and environment here in PA. My bills to Close the Leachate Loophole and Superfund Leachate Testing do exactly that. The loophole needs to close, sites need to test for leachate, and residents deserve a clean environment. #RepWebster #Environment

New York State’s final budget weakens key environmental protection despite hard-fought efforts from advocates that helped limit some of the damage. 💥🥊Riverkeeper will keep fighting to restore these protections and hold polluters accountable. Read our full statement: https://ow.ly/C4n850Z5eWT

Turn on your volume. How would you like to experience this up to 140 times a day (up and back) 5 days a week to and from the Dunn Landfill. (Note the school bus in the beginning) www.facebook.com/share/r/1DWh...

So look how much Leachate goes in the rivers of New York -- all untreated from landfills. DEC is proposing each landfill to come up with their own method to treat leachate or send it to another landfill to treat it. stopdunn.org

The Dunn Landfill permit is in Year Two, yet the community has heard zero about the $50K per year of the permit to reduce harmful emissions. Dunn deposited the $$$ in escrow and submitted a plan to DEC. So as of now $100K should be available to the community. Our FOI requests are delayed regularly.

Rensselaer, NY residents put at risk by the inaction of state leaders

New York's Department of Environmental Conservation continues to ignore the dangers of a landfill situated directly next to numerous school district buildings --- all in the shadow of the NY governor's offices and mansion in Albany, NY.

Legislative change needs to protect disadvantaged communities near landfills... NY cumulative impact law only applies to new projects or existing projects that propose changes. Research shows burning of landfill gas releases PFAs into the air up to 3 times stronger than that found in leachate.

“Impact of Leachate on the Quality of Groundwater From the Hassi Bounif Technical Landfill: A Pollution Diagnosis and Risk Assessment” #groundwater #landfills #leachates onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Impact of Leachate on the Quality of Groundwater From the Hassi Bounif Technical Landfill: A Pollution Diagnosis and Risk Assessment

This study evaluates the impact of landfill leachate on nearby groundwater by analyzing physico-chemical parameters, organic pollution indicators, and heavy metals. Seasonal variations are assessed t....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

"A crisis emerges across the US as ‘forever chemicals’ quietly contaminate drinking water wells." Read the full article about ongoing PFAS contamination in Stella, Wisconsin: apnews.com/article/pfas...

A crisis emerges across the US as ‘forever chemicals’ quietly contaminate drinking water wells

The roughly 40 million Americans who get drinking water from wells are at particular risk when harmful forever chemicals contaminate the supply.

apnews.com

DEC Virtual Public Information Session Thursday, January 29, 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada) Region: Statewide Registration Link: meetny-gov.webex.com/weblink/regi... Virtual Public Meeting Series About PFAS - NYSDEC

Meet virtually with Cisco Webex. Anytime, anywhere, on any device.

Simple, modern video meetings for everyone on the world's most popular and trusted collaboration platform.

meetny-gov.webex.com

As PFAS remediation test plan seeks approval, Fort Edward residents fear another environmental disaster like the one they faced with PCBs; DEC comment period on CleanEarth plan runs through Jan....

Fort Edward group urges residents to appeal to DEC to stop PFAS remediation test

As PFAS remediation test plan seeks approval, Fort Edward residents fear another environmental disaster like the one they faced with PCBs; DEC comment period on CleanEarth plan runs through Jan....

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This is the dust going into the air at the Dunn Landfill and blowing toward the Rensselaer City (NY) schools & community. DEC says this is okay. They consistently ignore testing that can determine the threat. Why? They don’t want to know. It’s all about the money and politics.

NY State Dept of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced two public, virtual presentations on its upcoming rule for Treatment and Disposal of Landfill Leachate. This is an important step forward. Jan. 27, and Feb. 11, both open to the public. Information at SolidWasteRegulations@dec.ny.gov

The Rensselaer Environmental Coalition and the City of Rensselaer filed an article 78 action in NYS Supreme Court against the NYS DEC and the Dunn Landfill regarding the permitting process for the landfill. What are the key legal points to be decided by the court? share.google/aimode/tRpqa...

REC partnered with an Environmental Ethics class at @sienauniversity to study the Dunn Landfill. Thanks to Siena Student Max Carter for creating a series of infographics to educate about the Dunn Landfill. This is the second of five in the series! @sienaenvironmentalclub

New Post! Life Under Threat: The Toxic Coal Waste Landfill in My Backyard #ClimateChange www.momscleanairforce.org/life-under-t...

Life Under Threat: The Toxic Coal Waste Landfill in My Backyard - Moms Clean Air Force

The Ottumwa-Midland Landfill, a coal waste landfill, has been operating in Ottumwa, Iowa, near Des Moines, since 1981. This grandmother tells the story of watching plumes of ash pump into the sky afte...

momscleanairforce.org

This is a great tool for estimating the impacts of air cleaners in nat vent UK schools. Unlike most air cleaner selection tools which just size on clean air delivery rate CHEPA also considers the energy aspects depending on local climate.

Stockholm Environment Institute@sei.org · 8mo ago

📢 Introducing CHEPA: a free tool for #schools and local authorities. Calculate how a #HEPAfilter would affect your classroom #AirQuality and energy use. ✔️ Co-designed with schools ✔️ Easy-to-use ✔️ Evidence-based ✔️ Classroom-specific results Try it today: buff.ly/wBy4wGV #CHEPAcalculator #EduSky