Mayors Landfill Comments

I have been analyzing landfill issues for the past four years and, from time to time, addressed council on the subject.

 

Below is my response to the Mayor’s comments as published in the 7/30/14 Wilmington News Journal.

 

1.No change in current operations is not an option  as the OEPA has asserted that the City of Wilmington cannot own and operate its own landfill.

 

Response: According to Russell Brown from the Dayton office of the OEPA’s landfill division, ““We are often asked if we are Pro or Con on the topic of landfills. And the answer is that we are neutral. We don’t have an opinion regarding who owns and operates a landfill, our focus is that it is done correctly”

 

2. Immediate sell.

 

Response: In my opinion, if a buyer could be found the only way that the buyer could gain a return on investment would be to bring in large amounts of outside the county and/or state solid waste and build a mountain of trash within the city limits and increase truck traffic on Nelson. Nearby neighbors have already spoken to this issue at the public meeting)

 

3.Immediate Lease

Response: Basically the same objections as immediate sale. In their recent proposal Santek indicated that they would increase the daily tipping rate of 65 tons per day toward the maximum allowable of 195 tons per day.

 

4. Immediate closure.

 

Response: The recent expansion of landfill capacity has added years of use at current tipping rates and has been completed.

 

5. Zero Waste

 

Response: A viable and responsible idea but difficult and expensive to implement. We have borrowed some time with the expansion to work out the details.

 

6. Privatize solid waste responsibility.

 

Response: Certainly worth studying for a long term solution after the current facility is to be closed. This option must meet performance accountability standards.

 

Business as usual is not an option.

 

Response: This is the best option for the near and mid term period. The landfill is self supporting and with local effort can have several years of useful life.

Note: The cost of closing a landfill varies greatly. A supply of good clay dirt is a major cost factor. Fortunately we have a lot of that material on site according to landfill personnel. One online source offers this estimate:

In 2013 dollars the cost of the actual closure would be $1,411,201. The continuing monitoring and maintenance cost over the 30 years post closing would be $2,463,094 or $82,000 per year.

 

When deliberating the need to lower rates to increase outside tipping has proven counterproductive because the value of landfill airspace has been disregarded. Calculations using the current expansion cost and airspace gained results in a $7 per cubic yard of airspace value.

Paul Hunter