Regulators want to set a 99.9% removal requirement for a wide range of contaminants, including PFAS. But operators say the proposal is unworkable as currently written.
Several truck trailers and pallets sit on a concrete lot. Behind them, the mound of a landfill rises, with two 18-wheelers driving on a road along its slope.
By Jacob Wallace, Waste Dive, Sept 14, 2026
The town of Brookhaven, New York, operates a landfill that accepts incinerator ash and other materials. One town official said that designing leachate treatment facilities that meet the proposed rule would be “very, very difficult.”
In public hearings and written comments, landfill operators are pushing back against the New York Department of Environmental Conservation’s proposal to set a 99.9% limit on what commenters say would be more than 250 contaminants in landfill leachate.
The proposal comes amid criticism from environmental and public health groups who say leachate contains harmful compounds like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and dioxane that slip through water treatment processes unregulated.
Industry voices, including those from WM, Casella Waste Systems and the National Waste & Recycling Association, say additional controls could be implemented on leachate, but criticized the proposal as overly broad and expensive.
____________________________________________________
Daily energy and environment updates. Free 30-day subscription