By the end of 2024, the Brookhaven Landfill will stop accepting thousands of tons of construction and demolition debris.
This is the majority of waste that is dumped at the Yaphank-based facility — leaving much of Long Island to figure out what to do with bricks, concrete and other materials, including storm debris.
But for years to come, the landfill will continue to accept waste that is burned into ash at incinerators.
Town Supervisor Dan Panico tells Newsday that Brookhaven plans to keep the landfill open until 2027 or early 2028 to accept ash waste sent to the facility from Covanta, which runs a waste-to-energy facility in Westbury. The town would also need to seek an extension of its state-issued permit when it expires in July 2026.
That would give officials more time to find a use for 340,000 tons of ash that is disposed of at the facility each year.
The Town of Brookhaven did not respond to requests for comment.
Last year, former Town Supervisor Ed Romaine — now Suffolk County executive — warned that pandemic-related consumer habits had left enough space in the Yaphank-based facility for more waste than projected. The town anticipated to keep its landfill open for at least another two years until it reaches capacity.
The nearby community in North Bellport has long called for the closure of the landfill due to prolonged exposure to air and water pollution from the facility. The town is underway with a state-ordered assessment of a toxic plume emanating from the landfill.
Covanta is also under investigation for knowingly dumping potentially toxic ash at the facility. The New Jersey company denies the allegations.
