Stark County officials are telling thrill seekers to find another playground. After spotting fresh ATV tracks and other trespassing at the Exit Landfill in Osnaburg Township near Waynesburg, county environmental staff say the joyrides are putting a long-closed dump and the surrounding community at risk.
The worry is not just about torn-up turf. Authorities say damage to the site's protective cap or to its active leachate pumping system could let contaminated liquid escape into nearby soil and groundwater, raising both health and environmental red flags.
Official safety notice
In a joint public-safety notice posted to the sheriff’s Facebook page, the Stark County Sheriff's Office and the Stark County Health Department said staff have documented ATV tracks and other unauthorized activity at the former construction-and-demolition landfill and urged the public to stay off the property. The post on Stark County Sheriff's Office Facebook notes the site was ordered closed by the Stark County Board of Health and is now treated as an orphan landfill with no private owner responsible for its upkeep.
What officials warned
"ATV traffic could damage the landfill cap, which is the only barrier preventing rainwater from reaching the waste beneath it," Paul DePasquale, director of environmental health at the Stark County Health Department, wrote in the notice, warning that a compromised cap could increase the risk of leachate escaping the site. The recent tracks and other signs of trespassing were documented by county staff and referenced in the same notice shared by the sheriff’s office.
Who maintains the site
The Stark County Health Department, in coordination with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, has overseen the site for more than two decades and operates pumps and a leachate collection system to keep contaminated liquids contained. A county document describes a memorandum of understanding with the Ohio EPA that lays out roles and funding to maintain the cap, monitoring probes and pumping equipment, according to the Stark County Health Department.
Why leachate matters
Leachate forms when rainwater filters through buried wastes and can carry chemical constituents into soil and groundwater, which is why collection and pumping systems are a standard part of landfill controls. U.S. EPA guidance explains how leachate forms and why damage to caps or collection systems can create contamination risks.
Size and location
County property pages list the primary tax parcel tied to the site at 7095 Fairhill Street SE as roughly 132.6 acres, while the sheriff’s notice described the landfill as about 122 acres and said the parcel extends toward Westfall Street SE. Public property listings reviewed online show the larger acreage while the sheriff’s post uses the smaller figure; both underscore the site's large footprint in Osnaburg Township. Ownerly and the sheriff’s notice provides the differing figures.
Enforcement and how to report
The sheriff's office said deputies will increase patrols at the site and that trespassers may be arrested, but emphasized the enforcement is aimed at preventing damage rather than punishing residents. Officials ask anyone who sees ATV use or other trespassing to call the non-emergency line at 330-430-3800, as reported by Spectrum News.
Shared responsibility
Local officials are framing protection of the capped landfill as a community project: keeping people off the property is, they say, the single most important step the public can take to prevent environmental damage and avoid safety hazards. County leaders add that routine monitoring and pumping need to continue so contaminated liquids stay where they are and do not migrate into nearby soil and groundwater.
