Ohio
OLDSWLF abandoned dumps and landfills
OLDSWLF: Ohio's archived list of abandoned dumps and landfills
OLDSWLF is an archived database of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) that lists about 1,200 abandoned dumps or landfills. It is one of three archived databases described by Ohio EPA's Division of Environmental Response and Revitalization (DERR), which posts it as a spreadsheet and no longer maintains it.
In a Phase I ESA
ASTM E1527-21 lists state landfill and solid waste disposal site records among its standard sources. OLDSWLF is not Ohio EPA's current landfill list. That is the licensed facility list described on the Municipal Solid Waste Landfills page, and Ohio EPA says it shows only currently licensed facilities. OLDSWLF is the agency's older record of abandoned sites, and three things shape how to use it.
- It was built from old paper. Ohio EPA says the database was developed from its staff notebooks and other information dating from the mid-1970s, including old Division of Solid and Hazardous Waste Management and DERR files and the 1976 Groundwater Pollution Inventory-Summary of Land Disposal.
- Ohio EPA does not stand behind the entries. It says the archived databases are no longer maintained and may contain inaccurate or outdated information, and it disclaims any responsibility for wrong or misleading entries. Treat an entry as a lead to confirm against other sources, not as a surveyed location.
- An entry can bring a development rule into play. Ohio EPA's rules for work on land once used for waste disposal cover waste sites that existed before regulations, and reach 300 feet beyond the waste. See Developing On or Near a Landfill.
What the record shows
The page read gives the size and origin of the list. It does not describe the fields in the spreadsheet.
Where to look a site up
- The OLDSWLF spreadsheet is linked under Archived Databases on Ohio EPA's Database Request page, beside SIABASE and TOWNGAS.
- DERR is at 614-644-2924.
Getting the file
Ohio EPA describes the archived databases as available from DERR upon request. The page read does not say whether a file exists behind an entry. To ask, use Ohio EPA's online file review request form; Ohio EPA says the best first contact is the district office where the site is located.
Sources
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency pages, read October 7, 2026, no modified date shown: