SALISBURY, Md. - According to the Wicomico County Department of Public Works, the landfill off Naylor Mill Road has 22 years left of life. That is why they say an expansion, either north or south of the landfill, is necessary.
There are two parcels that are on the table for discussion before the county council.
Bill Wikoff lives north of the landfill.
"Occasionally it gets a little smelly on Route 50 when the wind comes from the right direction," Wikoff said.
Wikoff said if the landfill has to expand, then it should expand south.
"That would not bother anybody, I don't think there is any housing there at all," Wikoff said.
Sheila and Benjamin Stanley also live by the landfill. They both said it should be left alone.
"I mean it's unbearable sometimes right now so I can't imagine what it will be like if they were going to do it," Stanley said. "We don't need that in our backyard."
However, county officials realize the need for future expansion.
Public Works Director Dallas Baker said it comes down to cost and efficiency.
"There is 50 years of potential life by expanding the landfill to the north," Baker said.
The county already owns the south parcel. Baker said, if the landfill expands south then it will only add an additional 30 years of life.
"The struggle is finding a balance between what the citizens want and how much money we have and what the environment supports," Baker said.
The county council meets on Nov. 20 to vote on whether to purchase the two parcels of land on the north end.
