Toxic landfills resurfaced in Middletown still haunt community
| 12 Mar 2025 | 10:58
Rachel Raimist, Fred Isseks, Frank Biasi, and Jeff DuTemple appear in Middletown by Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine. (
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The most recent DEC inspection of the Al Turi Landfill found a host of violations.
In the documentary Middletown, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to international acclaim, filmmakers Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss revived an ongoing story of corruption, crime and waste first captured by high schoolers in the ‘90s.
Tasked with producing a film for their Electronic English class, a group of students at Middletown High School began investigating Orange County landfills, including the Al Turi Landfill, Orange County Landfill and the Wallkill River Landfill. Their muckraking revealed far more than they had bargained for: connections to organized crime, political corruption and the illegal dumping of toxic waste like industrial solvents, liquid refrigerants, paint sludge, crushed battery casings and untreated medical waste.
Their final project, an hour-long film titled Garbage, Gangsters and Greed, exposes a conspiracy behind the illegal dumping that was polluting the community’s soil, air and waterways. Despite years of efforts to pressure government officials to take actions against the contamination and stop the illegal activity, the students – guided by their teacher, Fred Isseks – were ultimately unsuccessful. Still the story is powerful, inspiring and unfortunately, absolutely relevant today.
In 2003, the Al Turi Landfill in Goshen, NY was finally closed, but its toxic legacy persists. The landfill has faced repeated violations over the ensuing years for failing to maintain post-closure compliance, the most recent issued by the Department of Environmental Conservation on February 7, 2025 (see inspection report above.)
The DEC inspection found, among other issues, that the landfill’s gas control system was not being maintained, presenting an explosion hazard. The leachate system was not properly maintained, with pump stations turned off, a torn lagoon liner and open manhole. Unauthorized above-ground tanks were discovered without secondary containment. The current leachate system management system lacks authorization and needs repairs.
The film is currently only being shown at film festivals. “We are hopeful that it will screen somewhere in our area by late summer or the fall,” said Isekks, who is retired but still lives with his family in Middletown.