Daily Record: Partners Want to Turn Rolling Knolls Landfill into Solar Energy Farm

Two businessmen want to convert the Rolling Knolls Landfill, which has been shuttered since 1968, into a solar energy farm, according to a report in the Daily Record.

If the project is approved, the two hope to provide solar energy to homes nearby. Read the full story here.

The landfill will definitely be redeveloped, thanks to a recommendation made by the township Planning Board in early May.

Under state Local Redevelopment and Housing Law, the township has the capability to authorize the cleanup of the site. The Planning Board determined that because the site is unlikely to be redeveloped privately, and because it feels the closed landfill "is detrimental to the safety, welfare and health of the community," it recommended the redevelopment.

The matter is now in the Township Committee's hands. The committee has the power to decide how to go about the redevelopment, and will discuss the matter at future meetings.

The landfill, which is bordered by the Great Swamp National Wildlife refuge on three sides, was in use for about 30 years until 1968. In 1999, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found there were contaminants on the site, and has been working with others since 2005 to conduct an investigation to determine the extent of the contamination.

Some of the contaminants include pesticides and volatile organic compounds, according to the EPA Web site.