Brookhaven is asking state regulators to approve a five-year extension of the town's landfill operating permit as the town moves to complete the oft-delayed shutdown of the lucrative but troubled dump.

Town officials and the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the latter which is weighing the town's request for a new permit that would expire in 2031, say the landfill is expected to close when it runs out of room for deposits of trash, primarily ash from Long Island incinerators operated by New Jersey-based Reworld.

For generations, the waters surrounding Long Island have defined its identity — from the wide-open waterfronts of the South Shore to the shellfish beds of the North Shore. But beneath the surface, a quieter transformation is underway.

A new study shows toxic forever chemicals known as PFAS may be entering the food chain on Long Island through contaminated soil, water and air.

PFAS have leached into our food from packaging and cookware. Now the risk may also be reaching our crops themselves. 

In 2025, Stony Brook University, PEER and Citizens Campaign for the Environment tested local produce from eight Long Island farms, including organic and conventional farms that use pesticides. They tested 23 vegetables including lettuce, carrots, and beets.

NEW YORK (PIX11) — New data suggests PFAS, commonly called “forever chemicals,” were found in locally grown vegetables on Long Island, according to a group of experts.