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I'm writing in regard to the Newberry Recycling Center on West Third Street. This recycling center sits next to Lycoming Creek, less than a mile from where the creek flows into the Susquehanna River. I have reached out to many city officials and the DEP to understand the person(s) responsible for choosing this site, how it was approved, and if potential environmental impacts were taken into consideration. My questions, however, have gone unanswered.
I have sent numerous pictures of the garbage illegally dumped at this site (outside of the designated containers), to Waste Management and the DEP. I have expressed my concerns over how the plastic bags and other debris blow over and under the fence into the creek. Yet, polluting continues, and no real action is taken to resolve or address this problem. According to the EPA, all aquatic trash in waterways is harmful; however, plastic waste is the most troubling because it persists, and breaks down into tiny pieces referred to as "microplastics." These microplastics are difficult to see, and therefore, are hard to clean up.
Microplastics also adversely affect fish and wildlife. In 2019, Susquehanna University's Freshwater Institute found microplastics in 100 percent of the bass they studied. It is apparent security cameras and threats of fines are not deterrents for litterbugs, and fences cannot contain windblown debris. That said, Newberry's recycling center should be removed from its current location. The land and water in our city are an integral part of what makes Williamsport a beautiful place to live, we must practice better stewardship before the damage is irreparable.
MAREN DESAULNIERS
Williamsport
Submitted by Virtual Newsroom