Commission finds landfill expansion consistent with plan amid public environmental concerns; elects Solid Waste Authority chair

The Camden County Board of Commissioners and the newly convened Solid Waste Authority voted to approve a formal consistency determination finding that proposed expansions to the county landfill are consistent with the Camden County Solid Waste Management Plan and authorized the chair to sign the required consistency letter.

The decision came after a staff presentation that said the proposed municipal solid waste (MSW) vertical and limited horizontal expansions sit on county-owned, already-permitted landfill property and would extend disposal capacity. The presentation noted the MSW landfill currently has less than seven years of life remaining and that the county’s C&D (construction-and-demolition) landfill has more than 90 years of remaining capacity.

County solid-waste staff said the project would use land already owned and permitted by the county and estimated the MSW disposal area for the horizontal expansion at about 79 acres within a roughly 1,327-acre county-owned tract. Staff said the plan would first maximize vertical capacity (additional lifts across existing cells) before any further horizontal expansion.

During public comment, resident Ricky Manning urged the board to address longstanding compliance and environmental issues at the landfill before expanding. “This whole thumb drive is all full of non compliance from this solid waste starting,” Manning said, adding later, “I've had maybe two inspections over 20 years that were in compliance. Two. That is ridiculous, folks.” Manning said he had been working with Georgia EPD and DNR staff and offered the county evidence he said documents leachate and groundwater problems.

Campbell, the staff presenter, told the board the solid waste management plan evaluation considered floodplains, wetlands, water supply, watersheds, public water supplies, and other siting criteria and concluded the proposed expansions were not limited by the plan’s exclusionary factors. “The proposed project is consistent with the solid waste management plan,” Campbell stated.

The Solid Waste Authority also held organizational votes. Commissioners nominated and approved Ben Casey as chair and nominated and approved Robbie Cheek as vice chair. The board then passed a motion authorizing the chairman to sign the consistency letter on behalf of the authority.

Board members and staff said the chosen approach—raising the height of existing permitted cells first and converting permitted C&D acreage for MSW use where needed—was meant to preserve capacity and minimize use of new, unpermitted land.

The meeting record shows the board carried the motions to (1) elect Ben Casey chair of the Solid Waste Authority, (2) elect Robbie Cheek vice chair, and (3) authorize the chair to sign the Solid Waste Management Plan consistency letter. No roll-call vote counts were recorded in the transcript; the clerk announced each motion “carries.”

Public records and staff materials presented at the hearing described the expansion as increasing county disposal capacity, and staff recommended approval of the consistency determination so the county can proceed with permitting and project steps.

The county did not adopt any immediate operational remediation measures on the record in response to Manning’s allegations; Manning said he had provided documents to state agencies and indicated he would continue pursuing the issue.

The Solid Waste Authority and county staff said the expansion will continue to be reviewed through permitting processes and that environmental compliance remains governed by state regulatory authorities.

Looking ahead, the authority’s authorization allows staff to transmit the signed consistency determination to the state process and proceed with planned permitting steps; any further technical or operational responses to the public’s compliance allegations will depend on follow-up inspections and regulatory findings.