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

Original story below…

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WHITE MARSH, MD—A new recycling facility has been proposed for the White Marsh area, and community members are voicing their concerns.

Back in March, the White Marsh-Cowenton Community Association reported that PEH Organics Recycling, Inc. purchased the property located at 11235-11239 Philadelphia Road (formerly Vince’s Auto), with plans to operate it as an “Organic Recycling Facility.”

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.

WMCCA has now created an online petition opposing the new facility.

“We, the undersigned, notify the Administrative Law Judge of Baltimore County MD presiding over the Zoning Case involving PEH Organic Recycling Facility that we are opposed to this applicant being granted a zoning variance to operate an organic recycling facility at 11235 – 11239 Philadelphia Rd, White Marsh MD 21162,” reads the petition, which was posted by Heather Patti of the WMCCA. “This would be the ONLY facility of it’s kind in the State of Maryland located within a residential community.”

“We are opposed to the organic recycling facility operating within our community because of the anticipated increase in dump truck traffic (up to 200 trucks daily), increased traffic and road congestion, operational noise in excess of 90 dB during operating hours…since noises >70 dB can cause hearing loss,” the petition adds. “There is also great concern for vermin such as roaches, mice and rats to be included in the ‘feedstock’ brought in with each truck load.”

“Lastly, the property – 11239 Philadelphia Rd – was recently added to the Maryland Department of the Environment – MDE’s Brownfield Master Index due to it’s history of contamination with Volatile Organic Chemicals – VOCs and other hazardous materials,” the petition concludes.

The full online petition can be viewed and signed here.