Landfill news Roundup: Expansion Disputes and Legal Challenges
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Landfills face a variety of permitting and operational considerations and challenges. this is Waste Dive’s latest roundup of landfill news from around the country.
Private landfill expansions are often long processes shaped by regulations at multiple levels of government and by public opinion. Over the past month, Republic Services has faced local opposition at sites in Tennessee and Oregon. Meanwhile, Rumpke is working to address neighbors’ concerns as it launches an expansion of its own in Kentucky.
Here’s a look at some notable landfill developments:
Local officials sue for input on Republic Services’ Tennessee landfill expansion
The Central Tennessee Regional Solid Waste planning Board and city of Murfreesboro are suing BFI Waste Systems of Tennessee, a subsidiary of Republic Services, after the company filed with state regulators to expand the Middle Point Landfill, WSMV reported. The officials say they should have been given a say in the proposal, a 70-foot vertical expansion which would add an estimated 19 million tons of landfill capacity.
In their complaint, the officials say Republic “leapfrogged both statutory and regulatory obligations” by failing to file its expansion request with the regional planning board prior to its application to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. They’re seeking to compel Republic to file its expansion application with them first and go through a local co
Rumpke Landfill Expansion Plans Face Scrutiny in Kentucky
Rumpke’s landfill in montgomery County, Kentucky, which receives waste from 30 counties, has less than eight years of capacity remaining. The company has proposed an expansion plan to extend the landfill’s lifespan.
Rumpke’s landfill property totals 353 acres, with 97.25 acres currently permitted for waste disposal. The proposed expansion would increase the landfill’s footprint within its existing property boundaries, without extending beyond them, according to the company.
In November, the Montgomery County Fiscal Court denied Rumpke’s initial expansion request, sending it back to the county’s solid waste board for further review. (Mt. sterling Advocate)
A public meeting regarding the proposed expansion plans is scheduled for January 11.
Other landfill news
* County commissioners in Mobile County,alabama,voted to reject WM’s proposed expansion of the Chastang Landfill. The proposal aimed to increase waste acceptance from 1,725 tons per day to 5,000 tons per day. (AL.com)
* Opponents of Republic Services’ expansion of the Coffin butte landfill in Oregon have filed a notice of intent to appeal the approval of the proposal. The appeal will be considered by the oregon Land Use Board of Appeals. (Salem Statesman Journal)