SENECA COUNTY, Ohio — Residents of Loudon Township shared concerns Tuesday night about proposed zoning code updates at a commission meeting.
The zoning commission, which voted yes on the code, shared that the reasoning for the code is to allow the township to have more control over agricultural land as industries such as solar and wind attempt to move in in the future.
However, a big talking point still remained community frustration over the Sunny Farms landfill, owned by WIN Waste Innovations.
"The big picture is us fighting the big conglomerations, those dumping out-of-state trash. That's our main focus," said Mike Cool, a resident of Loudon Township.
WIN Waste representatives were in attendance at Tuesday's meeting, and despite community concern, say the landfill is improving and provides economic opportunities for the county.
"We want the people to know that we're safe," said Benjamin Nutter, WIN Waste community engagement director. "The air is safe, the soil is safe, the water is safe and there is not one shred of evidence that says otherwise."
The concerns over the landfill come after the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency considered a landfill expansion back in February, which many community members in Fostoria and surrounding areas were opposed to.
Cool said he is willing to vote for zoning guidelines to protect, in his mind, the township.
"We need to stop that, so if that means zoning, then that's what we need to do," he said. "We don't want it. We don't want the out-of-state trash, we just want it to stop. It's got to stop, it's got to stop now."
On the other side, Nutter says the company has taken accountability for past concerns and has never made a mistake.
"Even in the worst of times at the facility, when there were odors, and we fully acknowledge that, or the company then acknowledged that, there were odors and changes needed to be made, we never violated any health-based standards," Nutter said.