Ooh, that smell! NJ town really stinks all of a sudden

Monmouth County landfill has been giving off strong odors

Operators point to wet winter as a big factor

Plan to fix the issue is in the works

TINTON FALLS — Operators of the Monmouth County landfill in town have been working to explain just why the site is reeking stronger than ever lately, amid frustration by local residents.

At a Tinton Falls Township Council Meeting on Jan. 16, Monmouth County Commission Director Tom Arnone addressed the room, joined by fellow Commissioners Ross Licitra and Nick DiRocco.

The landfill's operating company, Waste Management — known as WM — also had a representative at the meeting, with a presentation on how this very wet winter has added some challenges to their gas collection system.

"We understand the neighbors' frustration, we share that frustration, and we're working as quickly as we can to correct that," John Hambrose, regional spokesman for Waste Management, or WM, said to New Jersey 101.5 News in a phone interview on Tuesday.

He said frequent rain causes a landfill’s soil cover to move, making it easier for gas to escape — while also accelerating the site's production of gas.

Some factors at the Monmouth County landfill, as presented at the January Tinton Falls Council meeting:

Landfill has taken on another 2.1 million tons of garbage over the past five years - such debris generates landfill gasses.

☔ “Unreasonable rainy weather pattern,” with nearly 16 inches of rain in the span of a month, alone, according to the WM rep.

Contractor delays also due to the rain, hard to do excavation work and get materials in place

Hambrose said the saturated conditions do make it an extreme challenge to safely use the heavy machinery needed in work to restore soil erosion — as well as building out more wells to trap gas before burning it off with enclosed flares.

The site's long range plans also involve capping, both with soil and a synthetic material.

Hambrose said that a landfill is much like building a large garbage bag, piece by piece, to contain what is inside.

While speaking at the Tinton Falls Council meeting, Commissioner Arnone said that recent quality of life complaints by residents — including from some of his own relatives — had left him “very, very angry” with the issue over the past several weeks.

"No disrespect to the attorneys or anything like that — I’m not one of them; I’m a street guy, a landscaper guy, when I get mad, I get mad," Arnone said, to some chuckles from those in attendance.

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