Listed below are some of the major concerns relating to truck traffic.


  1. •The 402 daily truck trips will impact Pleasant Street, Worcester Street/Route 169,  Route 131, and Route 20.


  1. •The trucks carrying solid waste are the size of a tractor trailer and are much heavier than regular garbage trucks. Anyone who's seen a tractor trailer try and stop knows it's not that easy. This poses a risk for people/children/pets crossing or playing near the streets along the truck's route. In addition, the current road conditions are not great now and they will bring in heavier trucks, therefore making larger ruts in the road.


  1. •Trucks carrying solid waste are uncovered or covered only by a tarp because methane gas built up without access to air can cause explosions. However, this also allows more water to enter into the trash and can cause leachate (water mixed with dissolved chemicals from the trash contents) to leak out into the road as the truck drives by. This material is as toxic to humans as hazardous waste.


  1. •In the modification, Casella is requesting 402 trips per day to the landfill alone. This doesn't include any traffic generated by the wood recycling facility.


  1. •Currently, Casella trucks out thousands of gallons of leachate that are collected from the landfill runoff. With increased MSW, this means more leachate as well.  Trucks carrying leachate are also not included in the 402 trucks per day.


  1. •Trucks will be tracking all of the dirt and contaminated soil from the landfill back onto the public roads where is can be swept away into neighborhoods and areas that are wetlands.


  1. •Other landfills have estimated that for every ton of trash on the truck,  a rat will also be transported from wherever the trash came from into our landfill.  Therefore the landfill will transport 400,000 rats from the Boston  and Springfield areas to the Southbridge landfill.


  1. •There are going to be noise issues with the heavier trucks and increased traffic. In a recent Board of Health meeting, these noise issues were brought up. One individual said there are currently trucks leaving the landfill at 4:00 AM.

How Gloucester regulates trucks About garbage trucks Police Chief's Statement.pdfhttp://www.ci.gloucester.ma.us/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=170&2ed757879199e3a8b617afae48187d20=b59ae927cddad49ad41f2c8ba3414511http://www.informinc.org/fact_ggt.phpTrucks_and_Traffic_files/Police%20Chief%27s%20Statement.pdfshapeimage_4_link_0shapeimage_4_link_1shapeimage_4_link_2

Enormous solid waste trucks will

degrade area roads, increase traffic hazards,

slow emergency vehicles, and disrupt neighborhoods.  Casella trucks have been  involved in accidents, fires and tip overs, including an accident in Southbridge in the past year. As trash will be coming from the Boston and Springfield area, and will increase from 20,000 tons to 405,000 tons, there will be a significant increase of truck traffic carrying this material to the landfill. They are permitting for 402 trips per day to the landfill portion of the facility alone.