DEP briefs council on solid-waste options; department to issue RFP for long-haul landfill bids and analyze environmental justice implications

The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) briefed the full County Council on long-term municipal solid-waste options and said it will issue a request for proposals (RFP) in coming months seeking binding price and environmental data for long-haul landfill disposal. The briefing compared two near-term options for the county’s waste stream as the Resource Recovery Facility (RRF) contract approaches its April 1, 2031 end date: 1) transition to long-haul transport and out-of-county landfill capacity, or 2) negotiate a new long-term contract to continue operating the RRF with capital upgrades.

DEP presented the county-commissioned Arcadis alternatives analysis and said the consultant found technologies exist to increase diversion and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions but that adding advanced waste-processing technologies requires significant capital and time. DEP staff told council members the county faces a tradeoff: upgrading the RRF would require large fixed capital and operating payments that make it more expensive over time, while long-haul landfill disposal appears less costly in per-ton estimates and leaves the county more flexibility to add…