Agreement reached between EJCAN and GFL: largest landfill in North Carolina to cease pollution and address environmental injustice  

Court-enforceable agreement stops PFAS pollution, addresses nuisance conditions, and funds community-led relief 

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—On behalf of the Environmental Justice Community Action Network, the Southern Environmental Law Center filed a proposed, court-enforceable agreement with GFL in federal court that addresses harmful PFAS pollution and environmental justice issues near one of the nation’s largest landfills—the Sampson County Landfill in Roseboro, North Carolina. The agreement would provide community-led relief to the rural, predominantly Black and Latino neighborhood of Snow Hill for the first time in decades. 

“This agreement brings long-sought relief from pollution and reparation to the Snow Hill community, putting resources and information in the community’s hands to care for their safety and health and start rebuilding after decades of ignored concerns,” said EJCAN Executive Director Sherri White-Williamson. 

SELC filed the proposed consent decree in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina on behalf of EJCAN after earlier notifying the owner of the landfill, GFL, of its intent to sue. Once the proposed consent decree, which was jointly agreed between EJCAN and GFL, is adopted by the court, it will resolve claims in a complaint also filed the same day. 

“This agreement with GFL to address toxic PFAS pollution, meaningfully investigate and address emissions from the landfill, and fund community-led remediation efforts provides crucial relief and empowers the Snow Hill community to repair and look forward,” said Maia Hutt, attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, which represents EJCAN. “Our hope is that this agreement provides a foundation upon which the Snow Hill community can build a safe, healthy future.” 

The principal components of the agreement follow. 

• GFL will essentially eliminate PFAS discharges to surface waters. For example, the landfill is currently discharging approximately 1,000 parts per trillion of PFOA—a type of PFAS—into Bearskin Swamp. The agreement requires the landfill to reduce this discharge to four parts per trillion (the lowest level the Environmental Protection Agency has determined laboratories can consistently quantify).  GFL also agreed to decline all new waste contracts for PFAS clean-up waste streams from military bases and fire-fighting foams until these standards are met. Together, these measures will dramatically reduce the amount of PFAS impacting Bearskin Swamp, a popular fishing and recreation stream that runs through the Snow Hill community. 

• GFL will use methane-sensing drones to identify emissions hot spots and retain an independent consultant to develop a continuous air pollution monitoring system around the perimeter of the landfill. After an initial monitoring period, the independent consultant will recommend emissions and odor reduction measures, and GFL will be required to implement these measures to the maximum extent practicable. These commitments will address emissions of heat trapping gases, limit airborne PFAS emissions, and address odor issues. 

• GFL will establish a community fund to be managed by and for Snow Hill residents. The purpose of the fund is to address environmental, environmental justice, and public health issues impacting the community. Members of the Snow Hill community will have discretion to determine which projects to fund, so long as they are consistent with the fund’s purpose. For example, the community could consider funding county water connections and water bills or filters capable of removing PFAS from drinking water. GFL has also agreed additional benefits to the community, including establishing recycling and composting education in local public schools. 

• GFL will also hold regular meetings with community members and establish a complaint response and escalation mechanism.  

The Sampson County Landfill was established in 1973 and expanded in 1992, prior to GFL’s ownership. The expansion was opposed by community members. Today, the landfill spans nearly 1,000 acres and accepts over 1.8 million tons of waste annually. Major industrial manufacturers from across the state, such as Chemours, sent PFAS-contaminated industrial waste to the landfill for decades. Recent testing from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality confirmed unsafe—and in some instances extremely high—PFAS levels in the streams and groundwater near the landfill. 

PFAS are a class of thousands of human-made chemicals that includes PFOA, PFOS, and GenX, and are associated with serious health harms. These contaminants are known as forever chemicals—they do not dissipate, dissolve, or degrade but stay in water, soil, and our bodies. PFAS are not removed by conventional water treatment so keeping them out of drinking water sources is critical.