Salem County commissioners reject plan amendment to add Giordano waste-recycling facility

The Salem County Board of County Commissioners voted no on May 29 to amend the county Solid Waste Management Plan to allow a proposed Giordano recycling and transfer facility on the capped Tilbury landfill in Salem City. The vote followed a three-hour public hearing at Salem Community College during which residents, environmental groups, municipal leaders and the applicant debated the proposal’s environmental, traffic and economic impacts.

The vote was the culmination of months of review and of two Solid Waste Advisory Council hearings. Still, the board’s five commissioners — Cordy Taylor, Micky Ostrom (deputy director), Dan Timmerman, Ed Ramsey and Director Lawrie — each said they would not support the amendment; the motion therefore failed. Commissioner Cordy Taylor said, “The environmental, public health, economic, and social concerns it raises far outweigh its potential benefits,” and announced her no vote during the roll call.

The hearing drew more than 70 public commenters. Opponents emphasized risks tied to siting an industrial, truck‑intensive operation on top of a closed landfill and near wetlands, private wells and residential neighborhoods. Trudy Spence Parker, a Woodstown resident, told commissioners she spoke “for myself as well as a large number of neighbors” and said the facility would bring heavy truck traffic that could damage historic homes and threaten schoolchildren’s safety. Environmental advocates and local fishermen urged…