Lower Saucon Township Council has granted conditional approval for an expansion of the landfill on Applebutter Road. The 29-acre expansion is within the boundaries of the existing 224-acre property, which was formerly the landfill for the City of Bethlehem but is now owned by Waste Connections Inc. The plan would add 3.15 years of service to the landfill, giving it about 6.5 more years total from its current capacity, landfill officials said at previous meetings.
Last month, the township’s Zoning Hearing Board granted special exception variances to allow the expansion. The Planning Commission recommended approval of the plan. Council’s approval was conditional upon the plan receiving approval from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Council voted 3-2 to approve the plan, with dissenting councilmembers Priscilla deLeon and Kristen Stauffer seeking a yearly review of the progress of the plan. Attorney Maryanne Garber, representing the landfill, said a yearly review would be impractical given the pace of DEP’s approval processes.
Garber previously told council that the landfill would not accept more material but just continue regular operations, with no change in traffic or hours of operation.