Dive Brief:

• Republic Services wants to extend the capacity of its Southwest Landfill in Canyon, TX by up to 100 years and city officials are fully supportive, as reported by NewsChannel10.
• With an estimated population of less than 15,000 people, Canyon may be small but it has been experiencing fast growth that is expected to continue. According to Canyon's city manager, Republic plans to roughly triple the size of the landfill at no additional cost to the city.
• The landfill's proximity to Canyon will help keep these costs down, though it also means that residents will soon be living closer to the site as growth continues and subdivisions are constructed nearby. 

Dive Insight:

According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's most recent annual report, the Southwest Landfill took in more than 175,000 tons of waste in 2015. At the time the site was reported to have capacity for about 2.3 million more tons and could last for an estimated 13 years, though those numbers have likely decreased since the release. Republic is reportedly finalizing plans and filing for a permit amendment soon.

If the necessary permits are approved, this site expansion could potentially last even longer if new state recycling efforts are successful. TCEQ has commissioned a study to examine the Texas recycling economy and potential for increasing a statewide diversion rate which is currently less than 20%. Austin has been leading the pack with its "zero waste" goals while other cities and towns lag far behind.

Canyon's city manager expressed confidence that new residential construction near the landfill wouldn't pose any problems, but recent experiences with other landfills — including some operated by Republic — have been different. If odor or air quality becomes an issue for any reason, these new residents will be the first to notice it. Republic has been dealing with residential complaints about odor issues around two California landfills for years. Though an expansion permit was recently approved for one and a regulatory agreement was reached at another, which shows that the company can be adept at mitigating these issues if needed.