UPDATE: The plans for an organic recycling facility on Philadelphia Road have been dropped.

Original story below…

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WHITE MARSH, MD—Neighbors and community members are voicing concerns over a new, proposed recycling facility in the White Marsh area.

The White Marsh-Cowenton Community Association reported this week that PEH Organics Recycling, Inc., the new owners of the property located at 11235-11239 Philadelphia Road (formerly Vince’s Auto), are planning to operate it as an “Organic Recycling Facility.”

PEH Organics has applied for a General Composting Permit through The Maryland Department of the Environment to operate an organic composting facility. This application has been granted by MDE, however local permits and approvals are still pending Baltimore County review.

The composting method will be processed “inside an enclosed building with aerated static pile processing technology.”

With the Eastern Sanitary Landfill and Honeygo Reclamation Center both nearby, neighbors wonder what effect yet another waste processing facility will have on the local community.

PEH states that “there will be no nuisances because it’s site is surrounded on 2 sides by wooded areas, and any complaints received will be processed and addressed within 20 days,” according to the WMCCA.

The maximum capacity of the facility is said to be 500 tons per day during phase one, increasing to 1,000 per day if PEH is successful in getting the contract to process the organics generated by Baltimore City.

“Traffic is already a nightmare. Trying to picture all the dump trucks,” said one commenter on the WMCCA’s post about the plans.

“Has this area turned into a dump? Why not try for a permit in Towson, Hunt Valley, Lutherville, Timonium? We have enough dumps around here,” said another.

According to documents received via Maryland PIA request from MDE, the facility plans to accept the following:

• Food waste
• Dimensional lumber – unpainted, unstained, non pressure treated
• Wood chips
• Whole tree parts
• Pallets
• Crates
• Yard waste – grass, leaves, brush
• Animal manures – horse manure, cow manure, zoo manure
• Dirty paper
• Waxed cardboard
• Asian cardboard
• Subsoils

“While no one doubts the importance of the need for organic recycling facilities, what PEH proposes to operate in the middle of our community will be the largest facility of it’s kind in the state,” WMCCA president Heather Patti told NottinghamMD.com on Tuesday.  “During the initial Phase 1 they will take in 132,000 tons annually of food scraps, manure and yard waste. Phase 2 will increase this to over 200,000 tons annually.”

“I’ve been hearing so many concerns from residents close to the site concerning increased dump truck traffic, noise from trucks and equipment, dust, odors, rats/vermin, and the proliferation of flies,” Patti added. “PEH’s application acknowledges that breeding of flies will increase. They also plan to use rat traps and poison, which doesn’t sit well with some community members.”

“It’s clear that such a large facility with potentially long operating hours doesn’t belong in a residential community, but rather in a more industrial area, Patti concluded. “I think the worst part is that PEH has been steadily working toward developing this property without any community notice or input.”

Additional information can be viewed below.