WMI Continues Greedy Exploitive Rampage
If in 1995 a county leased its landfill for 25 years to accept "70 to 120 tons per day of commercial and residential solid waste," such a plan for 34 more years of landfill life sounds acceptable. If November 1996 a farmer sold land in around the landfill ""to be used by us for buffer property, for a perimeter road, monitoring devices and possibly for the future for borrow of soil," such land sold sounds reasonable. Not if Waste Management (WMI) takes over the lease in 1997 of the landfill! In fact the land bought from the farmer obviously was part of the WMI plan to quickly fill the landfill with Tucson waste and expand it onto the "buffer property" land!
Through a series of mergers WMI took over the lease and in 1997 started importing Tucson waste uping the Pinal County Adamsville landfill rate up to 1500 tons per day! The 34 year life of the landfill was used up in 5 years! Now WMI seeks enlargement of the Adamsville landfill using the "buffer property" sold by Urton Family Farm. First stating there were only 3 years of landfill life remaining, then later Waste Management claimed only six months space was available.
This crisis pressure failed to gain Pinal County approval. They rejected the expansion request despite the big bribe offer called a "host fee." Then WMI convinced the town of Florence to approve the expansion. Florence would need to annex the land.
WMI in its usual greedy way has refused to follow previous understandings for the use of the landfill and the buffer property. They have exploited the lease which Pinal County entered reasonably expecting the landfill to receive local waste and last 34 years. They have manipulated governments in every imaginable way in their attempt to expand their landfill which is most profitable since they lease the landfill for a small fee. Surprise? Not for the worst of the worst - Waste Management Inc.
Citzens for Landfill Effectiveness and Responsibility (C.L.E.A.R.) leads the fight to stop Waste Management. Ironically, one C.L.E.A.R. leader, Mike Urton, in 1995 signed the agreement with United Waste Systems for their purchase of buffer land around Adamsville. C.L.E.A.R. hopes to stop the Florence agreement by stopping their annexation and rezoning of the land. The citizen group has offered cost effective alternatives to the expansion to the Town of Florence which would not cause any increase in current rates. They have attorneys, public relations personnel, and other professionals aiding their cause. Their public campaign has started with Burma Shave type signs which includes a sign urging people to go to the stopWMX website. For further information on C.L.E.A.R. email Urton at jurton1028@aol.com.
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