On Tuesday night in Avondale, a standing-room-only crowd turned a routine permit hearing into a loud, pointed rejection of River Birch LLC's plan to dramatically expand its West Bank landfill and absorb the neighboring Greater New Orleans landfill. Neighbors warned that the proposal would lock in decades more trash, heavier truck traffic and stronger odors for communities that say they already live with landfill smells on a regular basis. State regulators spent hours taking testimony as residents from Avondale, Waggaman, River Ridge and Westwego lined up for the microphone.
Permit hearing and timeline
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality hosted the public hearing on Tuesday and has opened a formal comment period that runs through May 25, according to LDEQ. The session focused on a draft solid-waste major permit modification for River Birch (PER20250005) that would allow the company to fold the adjacent GNOL site into its existing footprint.
How big the expansion would get
The proposal would nearly double the West Bank landfill's capacity and stretch the site's remaining life by nearly 65 years, according to NOLA.com. Operators would be able to alternate filling between the River Birch and GNOL sides until reaching final heights of about 195 feet. Taken together, the cluster of operations would cover nearly four square miles and rank as the nation's seventh-largest landfill by capacity, that report notes. The application also seeks a nationwide service-area designation for certain classes of waste that could be used in renewable-energy projects.
Neighbors say health already on the line
Residents at the hearing described chronic rotten-egg odors they blame on landfill emissions and said those smells trigger headaches, asthma flare-ups and a steady undercurrent of anxiety. "This is the dumping ground for everything," a longtime resident told reporters. Local coverage showed a long line of speakers and a visibly frustrated crowd, with many saying they felt regulators were not listening, according to WDSU.
River Birch sells plan as green upgrade
River Birch, for its part, has pitched the expansion as a modernization effort that would support on-site renewable-energy projects, including a high-BTU gas plant and commercial injection-well operations that the company says reduce the site's carbon intensity. Company representatives have promoted technological upgrades and new energy products as central to their case for the permit change. The Avondale facility is listed at 2000 S. Kenner Road on the company's site (River Birch Renewables).
Promises on out-of-state waste
At the hearing, company officials said they had agreed with the state not to accept municipal and other ordinary disposal waste from beyond a roughly 200-mile radius, a concession first reported by NOLA.com. That restriction, they argued, would apply to routine household and municipal trash, while a nationwide designation would be reserved for specialized feedstocks that can be used in renewable-fuels production. NOLA.com's reporting also cites the company's estimate that its gas-separation equipment could generate enough renewable gas to serve roughly 52,000 customers.
Regulatory stakes and next steps
LDEQ will weigh written comments and the broader technical record before making a final decision; the department's public docket includes the draft permit package for review (LDEQ EDMS). River Birch told local reporters it expects a ruling within a few months and said it plans to work with regulators to address operational concerns, according to WDSU. Community groups, meanwhile, say they will keep pressing parish and state officials until the application is denied.
