Proposed landfill in Hendry County sparks concern

HENDRY COUNTY, Fla. – A brand new landfill in Hendry County will be placed between two wildlife conservation areas if approved. The site is three miles west of State Road 29 near the intersection of Church Road.

The landfill will be about 300 feet tall on 1,190 acres of land. The trash will mainly be coming from Miami.

“Our main concern is its placement because it’s right smack dab in the middle of a very important, incredibly significant, wildlife connection,” said Nancy Payton with the Florida Wildlife Federation.

The landfill will go between the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW) and the Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest. Payton believes the landfill could block panthers and bears from safely traveling between the two conservation areas.

“Garbage is one of the major concerns around bear management and here we’re going to have two square miles, 30 stories tall, of garbage,” Payton said.

However, wildlife isn’t the only concern.

If the landfill is approved, that wold mean more than 500 trucks carrying trash from Miami would pass through Immokalee daily.

“It’s going to be slow, real slow traffic. They’re going to be out there and people try to go around. You know, it might cause a couple of accidents,” said Jeremy Addison, who works in Immokalee.

A.Duda & Sons tells WINK News the landfill will bring in jobs and alleviate tax burdens in Hendry County. They also say that they have had several discussions with adjacent landowners, the community, and stakeholders.

“We don’t deny the need for landfills but why here and why to service the East Coast?” Payton asked.

A. Duda & Sons says they will continue working with the community to address any concerns.

There will be a public hearing on August 12.