The proposed ash-for-trash deal between Onondaga and Cortland counties failed a critical test Thursday night when the Cortland County Legislature rejected a proposal to import waste ash from Onondaga County's trash plant.
Cortland County legislators voted 9-7 to block a plan to use incinerator ash as liner material at their county landfill. That is a key component of a broader proposal under which Cortland County would import waste ash in return for sending trash to the Onondaga County incinerator.