There was a landfill in Butler Town

Josefine Linnea Jonsson/Wikimedia

I remember my mother visiting friends and family in Butler Town an African American settlement within the city limits of Amite City. I remember walking to the landfill when I was around eleven years old  with my friend who lived near the lanfill to see what it looked like. There may have been about two block measurements between their home and the landfill.  In the course of walking about a block, the odor intensified and the unsightly view of mountains of trash were overwhelming to my young eyes. 

Different species of birds were noticeably. the "Gulls" was flying and diving into the piles of trash savaging for discard food straps. Crows and blackbirds joined the flock of gulls. There were people digging in the trash looking for anything they could salvage. I lived out in the country. Leaving this site, I appreciate the beautiful trees, fresh air, fruit trees, and picturesque landscape of the county. I never returned back to the site again.

There was something wrong with it and it certainly didn't smell right. Due to the foul odor in the air, I didn't like visiting the community. My friends used to say it smelled like that all the time, especially when the wind was blowing. Several years ago, I met a lady who had lived in the same house for sixty years. Due to the smell, she cannot open her windows for fresh air or sit on her porch to enjoy the outdoors.

It closed somewhere in the mid- to late 1970s. Where the landfill was, it is currently, a sewer plant , which is giving off terrible odors. Sometimes I wonder if  residents ever brought this before the Amite City Council and Mayor. If so, what took place? Should the water and soil be test for toxic waste that can be very dangerous?

There is a significant danger to people living around landfills from the mountains of solid and liquid waste. Butler Town's safety was compromised while other communities were kept safe. Recycling is a bare minimum requirement in rural communities across the country. What was the environmental impact of the landfill on the community? Natural habitats and wildlife are destroyed by landfills. The effects it can have on human beings are incalculable. 

Did the landfill contaminate ecosystem and water system? Was there every a study done on the subject of the landfill? Is it something that the community should be talking about?