Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Solid Waste topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Waco completes construction of new landfill and transfer station; TCEQ pre‑opening inspections expected June–July
Summary
Public works staff said both facilities are substantially complete, construction ran on time and within the combined budget, and the city expects to begin transition operations in October with a 3–6 month overlap to establish a protective "fluff" layer and close the old site.
Public works staff updated the Waco City Council on May 6 that construction on the city’s new landfill and companion transfer station is virtually complete and that pre‑opening inspections with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) are anticipated in June–July.
"Big thing here is it's all complete. We're ready to go," Director of Public Works Cody Patillo said as he reviewed drone footage and construction milestones. Amanda Dyer, assistant director of public works, described the operational timeline: the city plans to open both facilities at the beginning of the fiscal year on Oct. 1, 2025, then operate both the existing and new landfills for roughly 3–6 months while a 5‑foot "fluff" layer of soft residential material is placed over the new cell to protect the liner before final closure of the old site.
Project status and cost: - Transfer station: construction finished in February 2025; final items include inspections and small administrative connections. The city widened FM 3400 and added a turn lane as required by the traffic study. - New landfill: the main infrastructure (entrance road, perimeter fencing, scales and scale house) is complete; maintenance and administrative buildings were reported near substantial completion with final completion expected in early June. - Costs: Pats reported an estimated construction cost of about $20.8 million for the new landfill (budget estimate previously about $22.6M) and about $15.8 million for the transfer station (estimate $15.5M). Patillo said the projects were delivered on time and roughly within the combined budget. The transfer station contract included an early‑finish incentive that paid $150,000 of a $200,000 potential incentive.
Operations and contracts: staff said the city will privatize the hauling operation inside the transfer station and has a contract with Estella Environmental to haul waste from the transfer station to the new landfill and to load trucks at the transfer facility; the city will operate scalehouse and public customer functions with full‑time city staff.
Why it matters: staff said the new landfill should provide long‑term airspace, with an estimated useful life in planning of about 20–30 years depending on tonnage, and the transfer station offers operational flexibility to manage future capacity and options for hauling if needed.
Council response and next steps: council members and staff recognized the lengthy permitting process that began in 2018 and thanked the public works team for completing a multi‑year project. Patillo said the city expects TCEQ pre‑opening inspections in June–July and reiterated a plan to open new facilities Oct. 1, with closure of the existing landfill following establishment of the fluff layer. Staff said demolition and closure of the existing landfill will be phased over subsequent years and paid from planned budgets.
Ending: public works staff described the project as a long‑running, generational infrastructure investment delivered without major overruns and said they will return with inspection results and a detailed operational transition plan in the coming weeks.
