The Waste, Inc. Landfill covers 32 acres in Michigan City, Indiana, and includes the original 16-acre landfill plus the adjacent Lin-See site. Landfilling operations contaminated soil, groundwater, and leachate with hazardous chemicals. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1987. The NPL is the federal government's roster of contaminated sites that need cleanup. EPA deleted the site from that list in October 2008 after cleanup was finished.
EPA identified 17 contaminants of concern at the site. These include metals such as antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, manganese, and mercury, found in both soil and groundwater. Benzene, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were also detected in soil and groundwater.
The cleanup remedy was completed in 1998 and included consolidating waste, capping the landfill with an engineered cover, removing an underground fuel storage tank, installing a leachate collection system, repairing an active sewer line, and posting fish advisory signs along Trail Creek. Collected groundwater is sent to the Michigan City Sanitary District for treatment. Groundwater is also extracted through vertical wells and treated using precipitation, pump-and-treat methods, and activated carbon filtration. Institutional controls restrict how the land can be used.
Human exposure at the site is currently under control, and contaminated groundwater movement has been stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. Monthly inspections confirm the landfill gas collection system works properly. Quarterly inspections check the vegetated cap. Annual groundwater monitoring shows decreasing concentrations of VOCs, semi-volatile organic compounds, pesticides, and PCBs. In 2021, a paved walking and biking trail opened along former site haul roads, developed with the Michigan City Department of Parks and Recreation.
EPA conducts five-year reviews to confirm the cleanup continues to protect people and the environment. The most recent review was completed on June 1, 2021, the fifth such review for this site. The next review is estimated to occur between June and August 2026. Community members can review site records at the Michigan City Public Library, located at 100 E. 4th Street. They can also contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager directly with questions.
