Local Nonprofit Leads Effort to Protect Resident’s Rights in Plumstead Township

Plumstead Township, PA—With its founding less than a month ago, a local nonprofit entitled Friends Against Bright Feeds, led by seven Plumstead residents has mobilized their community and is helping to raise awareness about an out-of-state company attempting to convert a parcel of property at 6124 Potters Lane into an industrial food waste recycling facility. Board members Bob Mergner, Katie Mergner, Loyd Bush, Rob Bradley, Rob Hall, Gene McColligan, and Andrew Marcum are leading the initiative and are keeping residents “in the know” with the organization’s website and on their Facebook Page.

Governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors, Plumstead Township conducted a regular meeting on Wednesday, October 8th that began promptly at 7pm where supervisors invited comments from any interested resident or taxpayer who wanted to express an opinion on a non-agenda item. Each speaker was asked to state their name and address for public record and were allotted up to three minutes to share their feelings on any township issue that was not listed on their agenda. The majority of presenters spoke about their concerns with a new food waste recycling company named Bright Feeds (also referred to as Smart Feed,) who is in negotiations to purchase the property located at Potters Lane. From a crowd of 100+ people, over twenty residents stepped up to the microphone to comment and share their concerns including a key issue with the zoning category of the proposed facility.

According to the Plumstead Township website, Plumstead is a Second Class Township as classified in the Second Class Township Code Act of May 1, 1933. The Township is governed by the five-member Board of Supervisors, each elected and who serve a six-year term. The Supervisors set the policies for the Township and serve as liaisons with the various advisory committees comprised of residents including Parks & Recreation, Environmental, Veterans, Agricultural, Historic, LPEAC, Emergency Management and Planning Commission. The Plumstead Board of Supervisors includes Chair, Jim McComb, Vice Chair, Dan Hilferty, Ken Lichtenstein, Greg Bankos, and Matt Given. Both Jim McComb and Ken Lichtenstein’s terms end in 2025, and would need to be re-elected in order to continue to serve in their position.

Many residents who attended last night’s municipal meeting asked the Plumstead Board of Supervisors to explain why the Smart Feed/Bright Feeds company is so interested in setting up a food waste recycling facility in such close proximity to both functioning farms and scores of neighborhoods? For the majority, it just does not make sense to establish a business that is now infamous for infusing toxic pollution into local well water, wetlands and into miles of the surrounding airspace. The Chair of the Supervisors, Jim McComb explained that none of the supervisors would be making public comments during the zoning process, but would allot time for resident input.

Bob Mergner, Chair of Friends Against Bright Feeds presented first and provided each of the five supervisors packets containing a patent application where the company in question has a US Patent Application (US 2024/0226831 A9) entitled “Conversion Of Solid Waste Into A Blend Having A Target Composition”. This document refers to their input as “solid waste” and their proposed system as a “solid waste processing system” in their diagrams, background, and detailed description numerous times they have described their business as a recycling plant. Mergner asserted, as many of the other residents also claimed, Bright Feeds/Smart Feed should be categorized as a H14 Recycler and not a H1 Manufacturer which is how they have allegedly listed the company in their application documents.

All of the presenters had compelling speeches, but the three that seemed to hit home the hardest were comments by a retired firefighter named Hector who served during 9/11 and is challenged daily by a COPD diagnosis. He stated that he ironically moved to Plumstead in 2022 for the clean air. Terry Gold reminded everyone about the Kingdom Provisions issue from 2023 where the slaughterhouse in Pipersville was cited for numerous violations related to environmental regulations, public nuisance, and animal welfare. The company has been the subject of multiple lawsuits and complaints from neighbors and local and state agencies since 2023. In May 2023, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA-DEP) cited Kingdom Provisions for illegally discharging industrial and slaughterhouse wastewater into the waters of the commonwealth, specifically Cabin Run, a tributary of the Tohickon Creek. The company received dozens of complaints from neighbors about foul odors from decomposing animal remains. Lawsuits allege that Kingdom Provisions illegally composted animal parts and applied animal blood to fields without a proper plan. Residents reported the leakage of blood and other liquids onto their properties. But Kim Tillerson got to the point and put it simply, pleading to the Board to get an answer to the night’s most poignant question by stating, “Why did they pick us?”

Families and farms make up the majority of property owners in Plumstead Township. According to the CensusReporter.com website data, Plumstead has a population of 14,063 and is a little more than 27 square miles. With high rated schools and a 97.6% high school graduation rate, Plumstead enjoys a mixture of bucolic farmsteads and suburban neighborhoods. According to the township’s official website at: https://www.plumstead.org/history.html “Today, Plumstead Township is fortunate to have many of its farms still functioning and often by families that have owned them for generations.”

Plumstead has long enjoyed a rich history acting as a bridge community between Philadelphia, the Delaware River and Easton, PA. Some of the restaurants and taverns serving the township have ties to signers of the Declaration of Independence. The Historic Piper Tavern, for instance, boasts a list of famous guests including Benjamin Franklin. The town of Pipersville, located in Plumstead Township was named after the Tavern’s owner, George Piper.

Last night did not culminate in any sort of closure for the members of the nonprofit Friends Against Bright Feeds and for the residents who showed up to work within the democratic process to protect their rights as taxpayers. Co-founder Andrew Marcum listed four ways that residents can continue to advocate for their rights and to support Friends Against Bright Feeds by:

1. Continue to spread the word so that the full township and surrounding area that will be impacted by this proposed recycling plan is aware of the travesty.

2. Continue to respectfully and civilly engage our local government. Showing up in numbers at board of supervisor meetings, writing letters to the board of supervisors, and to the state legislature to pass House Bill 586 and 587 (co-sponsored by Shelby Labs) which will help bring stronger regulation for waste haulers like bright feeds.

3. Consider donating to help fund legal expenses. 100% of funds raised will go directly to supporting the legal expense since a local sign maker anonymously donated all of the signs and because the board of directors have covered the costs of operationalizing the nonprofit.

4. Volunteering time and special talents to support the cause. Having other people lean into canvassing neighborhoods, selling/delivering signs, and getting the word out would definitely help. In terms of special talents, scientific or industrial process expertise could probably be useful as well!

Andrew also added, “I’m astounded by the support we’ve been able to get out for these meetings and the fact in back-to-back nights we’ve had over 100 people in person in support of this cause. It is remarkable and I’m proud of this group of people.”

To order a sign or to donate to Friends Against Bright Feeds, Click here or go to: https://www.saveplumstead.net.