Great questions by this writer!

Editor: Often on business calls, when we said we were from Scranton, people would say, “I’ve been to Scranton — that’s the place with all the waste coal piles and all those junk cars.”

That is a main impression people had of Scranton. They would ask, “What’s with all the coal piles and junk cars?”

The culm dumps are gone, but the junk cars remain. Today, visitors may say, “What’s that smell around here?” or, “Is that huge mountain a landfill in the middle of town?”

Why is this still happening? Northeast Pennsylvania is one of the most scenic areas in the country. Why do residents and elected officials allow companies to destroy the countryside? Why does the state allow out-of-state garbage to be dumped in Pennsylvania, especially a major city? Why does the state allow trucks to tear up the roads and scatter garbage all the way to the state line?

I live in Moscow and have driven the Interstate 380/81 corridor since 1974 and see the degradation. I have never seen, in modern times, such a disregard for the environment and the residents who live in the surrounding area.

I have found Keystone Sanitary Landfill owner Louis DeNaples to be very pleasant to deal with — he’s a clever and astute businessman and no one works harder. However, he appears to have little regard as to how his operation affects the environment, the residents and other businesses in the area. I would not trust his company to do the right thing in handling another 50 years of trash, based on what I’ve seen.

In today’s marketplace, if you do not clean up your own mess, or if your business adversely affects residents, the environment or local businesses, somebody should get after you. They should not allow an expansion for another 50 years with out-of-state garbage.

FRANK HUBBARD

MOSCOW