Expansion plans at various landfills have hit snags in recent months, while one major landfill in New York will move forward with plans to close in 2028. 

Here’s a look at some of the most notable landfill news developments in recent weeks:

A Casella-operated landfill in Ontario County, New York, will close in 2028

A Casella-operated landfill near Stanley, New York, will close by Dec. 31, 2028. The Ontario County Board of Supervisors voted for the closure on December 5, marking the end of Casella’s 25-year operations lease. The landfill is owned by Ontario County.

The vote comes after the board of supervisors in September released a study meant to help map the landfill’s future. The study offered potential scenarios for expanding the existing landfill, building a new one, building a waste-to-energy facility or closing the existing landfill outright. The county also held several community meetings to seek feedback. 

The 389-acre landfill opened in 1974. Casella assumed operations and management responsibility for the landfill in 2003, according to county documents. 

During the Dec. 5 vote, supervisors weighed the environmental and health impacts of the closure on its community, with several members calling for a detailed plan about alternative waste management plans, including waste reduction and recycling options. Casella is expected to follow detailed closure and post-closure monitoring and maintenance plans laid out in its contract, Supervisor David Phillips said during the meeting.

Others voiced concerns about where trash would be trucked after the closure. In a filing after the vote, Casella said it plans to “make alternative arrangements” at its other landfills in New York and Pennsylvania for the waste currently brought to the Ontario landfill. The landfill takes in about 918,000 tons a year.

In the filing, Casella said it doesn’t expect the closure will have a material financial impact on the company, since it has amortized costs based on the assumption the landfill would eventually close.

Republic's appeal of Tennessee landfill expansion denial heard in court

A Tennessee appellate court judge heard oral arguments in a case between a Republic Services subsidiary and the Central Tennessee Regional Solid Waste Planning Board. At issue is the proposed expansion of Republic’s Middle Point Landfill. The company applied for an expansion of the landfill in 2021, but local authorities denied the request.

Republic originally sought a 100-acre expansion, which currently encompasses 808 acres. On average, it takes in 3,700 tons of waste daily, according to a webpage run by the company. The landfill is projected to reach capacity in 2028, the Nashville Banner reported.

In its initial expansion application, Republic said that the proposed expansion was in line with the regional solid waste plan developed by multiple counties in the area. It noted the board previously approved an expansion in 2004.

The proposed expansion would have added 32 million tons of capacity, per the application. Republic projected that the facility's throughput would be 4,500 tons per day, in line with its existing permit.

It’s unclear when the three-judge panel that heard the expansion case will make a decision. In the meantime, Republic has proposed building a composting facility on the site and broke ground on a $70 million project to convert the landfill’s gas into renewable natural gas with Archaea Energy earlier this year.

Technology spotlight

County officials said the closed landfill was an ideal site for the project in order to preserve farmland. The array’s 9,600 solar modules were built on 34 acres and will provide electricity for some of the county’s facilities. Ameresco has partnered previously with other landfill operators on renewable energy projects, namely RNG projects.

Other landfill news: 

• The City and County of Honolulu has selected a site near a plantation in Wahiawa for its new landfill on Oahu to eventually replace the existing Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill by 2028. Some residents and a local councilmember have pushed back against the site selection, saying it’s too close to the island’s aquifer. (Island News)
• WM seeks rezoning approval from the planning commission in Plainfield Township, Pennsylvania, as the next step in expanding its Grand Central Landfill. (Lehigh Valley Live)
• Residents say they will fight a proposed landfill in Salem Township, Michigan, from GFL Environmental. It’s expected to replace GFL’s nearby Arbor Hills Landfill, which is scheduled to close within five years and has been the source of odor and traffic complaints from residents. (CBS News)
• The Atlantic County Utilities Authority will permanently cap over 16 acres of its landfill in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. The project is an effort to reduce odors that are the subject of a federal lawsuit, while also reducing leachate generation and making landfill gas collection more efficient. (NJ.com)
• The Gila County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a construction project to improve leachate piping at the Buckhead Mesa Landfill in Arizona. The project comes after the state’s Department of Environmental Quality approved a plan to construct a lateral expansion of that landfill. (Payson Roundup)
• The planning commission in Campbell County, Virginia, has voted to recommend denial of a proposal to expand the Region 2000 Services Authority's landfill, which is set to reach capacity by 2029. Residents have voiced concerns over the landfill’s possible health impacts. (WDBJ 7)