McGill study lays out seven options, wide cost gap for Appomattox County solid-waste plan

Mark Cathy, vice president and regional manager at McGill & Associates, presented a 20‑year comparison of seven solid‑waste management options to the Appomattox County Board of Supervisors, outlining capital, operating and revenue assumptions and projecting costs and tons managed for each scenario.

The study, commissioned last year, examined continuing direct haul from convenience centers; building a county transfer station; partnering with a private transfer station; reactivating previously permitted cells at the county landfill; building a new county landfill on county‑owned property; selling the site to a private landfill developer; and developing a waste‑to‑energy facility. The Region 2000 landfill, which currently accepts much of the county’s waste, is estimated in the presentation to run out of permitted airspace around 2029.

McGill’s cost comparisons used a 20‑year planning horizon and a set of escalation assumptions for salaries, hauling, disposal and equipment. Cathy told the board the analysis focused on “total cost” to the county over that period, and highlighted wide differences between alternatives.

Major findings and illustrative 20‑year totals presented by McGill: - Direct haul to the nearest municipal solid‑waste (MSW) landfills: roughly $40 million total; about 132,460 tons managed; average cost per ton about $303. - County‑owned…