Don't dump 'losers'

The Canton Repository

PIKE TWP - The Countywide landfill is paying the state $250,000 that will benefit the area around the Pike Township facility. Residents' wish list of projects is long. Why let the list go to waste after the winning ideas are chosen?...Read more.

Public tells EPA how to use cash

By Bob Downing
The Akron Beacon Journal

PIKE TWP - When the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency asked for suggestions on how to spend $250,000 to benefit residents who live around a controversial landfill in southeast Stark County, there was no shortage of ideas.

One person proposed buying heavy-duty respiratory masks for the neighbors.

Another proposed planting $250,000 in oak trees to hide the 250-acre Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in Pike Township.

A group of artists is seeking a grant for an art show to promote recycling....

Another request would protect local aquifers from pollution....Read more.

I-77 backup near Belden Village caused by burning trash in truck

The Canton Repository

JACKSON TWP - A trash truck caught fire on Interstate 77, slowing traffic in the southbound lanes for more than an hour Monday.

Truck Driver Carey Meff was hauling trash for R &J Trucking when he saw flames shooting out of the back of the semi he was driving at about 4 p.m.

"It's my first day on the job," Meff said. "I'm not happy at all. I looked in my mirror and all I saw was fire."

He was able to pull off to the side of the highway near the Belden Village exit. Meff was hauling trash from the Harvard Road Transfer Station in Newburgh Heights to Countywide's site in Pike Township....Read more.

Smoldering problem

The Akron Beacon Journal

PIKE TWP - Not so fast, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has warned the operator of a smelly Stark County landfill. Republic Waste Services of Ohio says it wants to cap 88 acres of the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in Pike Township as the most cost-effective and foolproof way to deal with smoldering underground garbage.

An end to months of obnoxious odors, caused when buried aluminum waste came into contact with landfill liquids, is certainly desirable. But the state EPA's sternly worded letter makes clear that no action should be taken until a permanent remedy has been approved by the agency, which is still reviewing the company's plan....Read more.