Jeannette will stick with Valley Landfill for waste disposal after council on Thursday rescinded a vote in made in November approving a change to Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill.
Council initially approved the change in a 4-1 vote in November, with Mayor Curtis Antoniak opposing it. On Thursday, the group voted 4-0 to reverse the change. Antoniak was not present.
City officials said there would be a cost savings by switching landfills, but after the November meeting, Councilman Chad Krawtz said logistical concerns about the change were brought to his attention by the department head.
Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill is in Rostraver, which is a 27-mile drive on Interstate 70 from Jeannette.
“There is a lot of concern that this is really not the best thing, even though on paper it looks good,” Krawtz said during Tuesday’s work session.
Valley Landfill in Penn Township, operated by Waste Management, is about 6 miles away. Monthly costs average $25,000.
In November, there were 367 tons of garbage taken to the landfill, which cost the city about $21,000 in fees, Krawtz said Thursday.
City manager Ethan Keedy said he expected to save about $50,000 in 2026 by entering a three-year contract with Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill.
“Our current landfill has gone up anywhere from 5%, 8%, 9% from year to year,” he said during November’s meeting. “This is going to give us a three-year understanding of a 3% increase throughout those three years, so we’ll know that it’s not going to go above 3%. We’ll see a significant savings by switching to a new landfill for 2026.”
Councilman Chuck Highlands was concerned about the impact on the 2026 budget, which included lower costs associated with switching landfills. The budget was passed Thursday without a property tax increase.
Keedy said after Thursday’s meeting that some of the revenue was underestimated in the budget and he believes there won’t be any budgetary issues with council’s decision to stick with Valley Landfill.
