Vermont's Agency of Natural Resources has ordered the Moretown landfill to close, citing odor problems and groundwater pollution.
Neighbors have complained about the landfill for years. The state letter ordering the closure cited 359 complaints of excessive odor in the 18 months ended last month, 265 of which had been confirmed by a consultant. The state also cites excessive arsenic, manganese and iron in groundwater tested at the landfill boundary and on a neighboring property.
The landfill's parent company, Advanced Disposal, has spent at least $450,000 as part of an effort to control the odors.
The closure would leave the state with only one landfill for disposal of its trash — in the northern Vermont town of Coventry.
A call to the landfill's general manager was not immediately returned.
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