Say NO to the deep injection well!
A landfill in Central Florida wants permission to inject toxic landfill leachate – often called "garbage juice" – deep underground near the Floridan Aquifer, the source of drinking water for millions of Floridians.
Leachate is created when rainwater filters through garbage, and can contain dangerous pollutants such as lead, pesticides, ammonia, PFAS ("forever chemicals"), and other harmful contaminants.
The Heart of Florida Landfill in Sumter County is exploring plans to dispose of leachate through a deep injection well. Supporters claim the waste would stay contained far below drinking water sources. But Florida's geology tells a different story.
The land beneath Central Florida is full of sinkholes, caves, underground channels, and other features that make it impossible to guarantee contaminated waste will never migrate into groundwater supplies.
This is not a hypothetical concern. Florida has experienced deep well injection failures before, and the Heart of Florida Landfill already has a history of environmental problems, including groundwater contamination violations and ongoing odor complaints from nearby communities.
The threat could soon grow even larger. This summer, Miami-Dade County is expected to begin shipping approximately 4,800 tons of garbage per week by rail to the Heart of Florida Landfill.
More trash means more leachate, more pollution risks, and more pressure to dispose of that waste underground.
The Floridan Aquifer provides drinking water for millions of people across our state. We cannot afford to put this critical resource at risk.
