KISSIMMEE, Fla. — A group of Osceola County residents are not giving up the fight to stop coal ash that continues to come in to the JED landfill from Puerto Rico.
- Resident hold meeting about coal ash in Osceola County
- Ash brought in to St. Cloud landfill from Puerto Rico
- Company that runs landfill said it may limit some ash by October
Concerned Osceola County residents met at the St. Cloud Civic Center on Sunday. They said they want the coal ash to stop coming in immediately.
Instead, Waste Connections, the company that runs the landfill, agreed to halt coal ash from Puerto Rico by October — with some exceptions.
Loret Thatcher, who attended the meeting, lives about five miles from the JED landfill.
"The shirt reads, 'no coal ash in my trash,' because we do not want coal ash as a part of the material allowed in our landfill," she said.
Coal ash has been coming into the landfill from Puerto Rico after the Osceola County Commission approved it in April.
"It should never have been allowed to happen. It was a foolish decision," Thatcher said.
Talks continued over potential health and environmental concerns from the coal ash.
"We are going to keep going to county meetings; we have a protest almost every week at the landfill," said Osceola County resident Mikala Wells.
After writing a letter, Waste Connections has agreed to stop bringing the coal ash by October with a few exceptions, including barring any unforeseen or unexpected concurrences that affect its contractual obligations, it said.
"We want it all gone; we want it stopped," Wells said.
Osceola County Chairwoman Cheryl Greib said that Waste Connections can accept this type of coal ash at the JED landfill, and testing so far doesn’t show it be unsafe to residents in the area.