MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP, N.J. – What was once expected to be the final chapter for the Ocean County Landfill has instead become another extension of one of New Jersey’s largest waste disposal facilities.
During a June Manchester Township Council meeting, resident Alice DeVito of Fourth Avenue asked a question that many nearby homeowners have raised for years.
“When is the Hess landfill closing?” DeVito asked during the public comment portion of the meeting.
Mayor Joseph T. Hankins’ response was brief but clear.
“Not in the near future.”
The landfill was supposed expected to close between 2024 and 2026, but new forecasts show the site could operated through 2038.
The exchange underscored growing frustration among residents living near the privately operated landfill along Route 70, where complaints about odors, truck traffic and the facility’s expanding lifespan have persisted for years.
Earlier projections have changed
For years, public discussions surrounding the Ocean County Landfill centered on estimates that the facility could reach capacity around 2024.
Instead, a combination of engineering improvements and a large-scale landfill mining project has significantly extended the site’s operational life.
According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), the Ocean County Landfill Corporation holds the county’s solid waste franchise and operates the only municipal solid waste landfill serving Ocean County. The facility’s current approved design capacity is projected to provide disposal services through 2038 or until its design capacity is reached.
While 2038 is the projected date, rapid growth in Manchester and nearby Jackson could sharply accelerate the timeline as Jackson is expected to grow to 200,000 residents in twenty years. Manchester is also facing a similar growth opportunity over the next decade.
The landfill occupies approximately 725 acres off Route 70 in Manchester Township, with roughly 284 acres dedicated to active waste disposal. The site has accepted municipal waste since 1972 and receives trash generated throughout Ocean County.
Landfill mining extended the facility’s life
One of the biggest reasons the landfill remains open is an ambitious project known as landfill mining.
Rather than expanding onto new land, operators began excavating a 72-acre section of the original landfill that had been filled and capped decades ago. Waste materials are separated, recyclable materials recovered where possible, and usable soils reused, creating millions of cubic yards of additional disposal capacity without increasing the landfill’s footprint.
According to the NJDEP permit documents, approximately 4 to 4.5 million cubic yards of material will ultimately be excavated from the older landfill cells. The project creates room for new disposal cells while maintaining the site’s existing boundaries.
The strategy has dramatically increased the landfill’s remaining lifespan.
The department reports that the landfill still has more than 10.4 million cubic yards of remaining approved capacity after accepting more than 614,000 tons of waste between February 2024 and March 2025. During that same period, approximately 128,500 waste-hauling trucks entered the facility.
Five-year permit renewed
Any expectations that the landfill might be preparing for closure were further diminished earlier this year.
The NJDEP renewed the landfill’s Solid Waste Facility Permit following a public comment period that ran from March 25 through April 24.
The renewed permit authorizes continued operation of the facility for up to five years, subject to state oversight and permit conditions. The department concluded the landfill complies with New Jersey’s Solid Waste Management Act and determined the facility had demonstrated compliance with environmental, traffic, noise and operational requirements necessary for continued operation.
Residents continue raising odor concerns
Despite the permit renewal, neighboring communities continue to report foul odors drifting into residential neighborhoods.
Residents in Ridgeway, Pine Lake Park and other nearby sections of Manchester have periodically described the smell as resembling rotting garbage, particularly during warm weather or changing wind conditions.
Township officials have previously encouraged residents experiencing landfill odors to report them through established channels so complaints can be documented and investigated.
The landfill operator reports conducting odor surveys several times each day around the facility and neighboring communities. According to the permit, workers also use daily soil cover, odor-neutralizing sprays and landfill gas collection systems designed to reduce off-site odors.
Heavy truck traffic remains another concern
The landfill’s continued operation also means continued truck traffic along Route 70.
Thousands of commercial vehicles enter the property annually, and residents have long expressed concerns about congestion and safety at intersections leading to the facility.
One recurring concern involves the intersection of Route 70 and Green Acres Road, where dump truck crashes and rollovers have occurred over the years.
The NJDEP notes that all truck staging occurs within the landfill property and that vehicles are prohibited from queuing on public roads. Access to the landfill is provided through a dedicated entrance road from Route 70 leading to an internal scale house.
Environmental safeguards detailed in permit
The permit renewal outlines numerous environmental protections required for continued operation.
The landfill utilizes double composite liners beneath new disposal cells, multiple leachate collection systems, groundwater monitoring wells, landfill gas collection infrastructure and stormwater management systems designed to prevent contamination of nearby groundwater and surface waters.
Leachate collected from the landfill is stored, pretreated on-site and then pumped to the Ocean County Utilities Authority for wastewater treatment. The facility currently treats and discharges approximately 1.9 million gallons of leachate each month under a separate industrial discharge permit.
Groundwater surrounding the landfill is monitored through 16 monitoring wells, with the most recent testing showing no impacts from landfill operations, according to the NJDEP review.
The landfill also operates an extensive gas collection system that captures methane generated by decomposing waste. Rather than venting into the atmosphere, the gas is flared or processed through an on-site Renewable Natural Gas facility that began commercial operations in 2025.
With the permit renewed and millions of cubic yards of disposal capacity remaining, the Ocean County Landfill appears positioned to continue operating for years to come.
