Solid Waste Committee discusses plans for landfill

Smith News

White County Solid Waste Committee members were presented with an updated report from the engineering firm during the April 2023 meeting.

TriAD, which is the engineering company for the Solid Waste Department, was preparing the Class I Landfill Annual Engineering Report that was due to be sent to Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation by May 1, 2023. Vick Surveying set grade stakes at the existing Class I landfill on March 23, 2023, ahead of Waste Management personnel mobilizing to the site to help address areas of existing overfill.

According to minutes from the April meeting, as of April 4, White County had not  received any communication from TDEC regarding the Nov. 1, 2022, corrective action plan (CAP), to address the steep slopes on the western perimeter of the existing Class I landfill in accordance with the TDEC, Division of Solid Waste Management, Order and Assessment dated Sept. 30, 2022, (received electronically October 5, 2022). The plan calls for the stabilization (i.e., erosion control matting, temporary vegetation) of the existing steep slopes ahead of wet winter conditions and until White County has procured the necessary landfill equipment to complete the slope repairs. The proposed completion date for proposed slope repairs is July 1, 2023.

A notice of completeness was received for the Class I landfill Expansion Area, Hydrogeologic Investigation Report from TDEC, on Feb. 14, 2023. The Hydrogeologic Investigation Report is currently under technical review. TriAD is continuing to coordinate with Waste Management and supplying additional site information, as necessary.

In other business, after some discussion on the future plans for the landfill, the committee compiled a list of the top concerns that members would like to see addressed from Waste Management. Those concerns included:

• Ask for bid to lease/purchase
• Assume all liabilities
• Be responsible for White County trash for 50 years
• Host fee 10 percent royalty (2 percent penalty exceeding pre-determined volume)
• Assume liabilities of closing old cell and opening new cell
• Maintain county roads to landfill
• White County citizens allowed to bring trash up to a ton per year and require permit for anything over a ton (negotiate terms for private citizens entering landfill)
• Community commitment
• Option for county landfill employees to work with Waste Management

County commissioner Chris Brewington asked if adding the transfer station was still on the table for discussion. After some discussion, it was decided that it’s not an option at this time because it would not be cost effective and would “ust be kicking the can down the road.”

Members of the Solid Waste Committee are commissioners Dakota White, T.K. Austin, Becky Golden, Jordan Cocke, Chris Brewington, Derrick Hutchings, and Larry Daniels.