"‘Trash juice’ gets a legislative spotlight following management failures"

"When it rains over a landfill, water trickles through the waste, picking up contaminants in the trash and forming a polluted liquid called leachate.

Lawmakers will consider a bill next session that would create more comprehensive requirements around the leachate management plans in permit applications for new landfills, including adding a new requirement that these plans contain details about handling leachate after the closure of the landfill, according to its sponsor.

The move comes after several landfills in the state had recent issues handling the so-called “trash juice” that can contain heavy metals, PFAS, and other harmful substances, according to the Department of Environmental Services. Failing to properly manage leachate can pose grave safety and environmental risks." Read more