Reno County landfill reports contained fire, reuse gains and plans for new cell

Megan, a Reno County solid waste staff member, told the Reno County Commission that a small landfill fire overnight was extinguished before 7 a.m. and normal operations resumed the same morning.

The update summarized the landfill’s recycling and reuse programs in 2024, noted ongoing construction to prepare for a new landfill cell (Cell 9) and listed household hazardous‑waste and battery recycling that county staff say reduce fire risk and disposal costs. "We were there at 3AM… the fire was out way before 7AM, and we were taking trash at 8AM," Megan said.

The nut graf: The solid waste presentation covered safety and operational incidents, program metrics for reuse and recycling, and near‑term capital work at the Reno County Landfill. Commissioners heard both the immediate outcome of the fire and larger program details — from household hazardous waste handling to excavation work that county staff say will lower future cell construction costs.

Megan said county crews have torn down an old scale house and other structures to start dirt excavation for the next landfill cell, Cell 9, and that performing that excavation in‑house saves the county an estimated $4 million to $5.6 million. She said construction demolition operations are in phase 2 with phase 3 nearly ready to accept material.

On recycling and reuse, Megan reported that last year the county placed the equivalent of about 24 tons (48,000 pounds) of material in a reuse building available to the public, recycled nearly 5,900 gallons of used oil, collected roughly 15 tons of batteries (including lithium batteries) for recycling and diverted about 602 tons of metal for recycling. She also described a mattress‑recycling partnership with the Hutchinson Correctional Facility that repurposes wood and springs into furniture and other goods.

Megan warned residents that batteries — including laptop and cell phone batteries and small rechargeable batteries from toys — can cause landfill fires and encouraged disposal at the county’s household hazardous waste facility next to the landfill scale house. She also noted private retailers in Hutchinson that accept lithium batteries, naming Home Depot, Harbor Freight and Lowe’s.

Regarding commercial and large demolition projects, Megan said municipal solid waste received by the landfill totaled about 1,219 tons from county sources last year, and out‑of‑county receipts were roughly 39,000 tons. She said the county received substantial concrete from a hospital/interfaith housing project (about 8,500 tons) and from the Atrium Hotel demolition (about 2,100 tons of separated C&D concrete), and that staff plan to consider bringing in a concrete crusher to reuse that material for on‑site roads.

Megan briefly described operational controls: an on‑site household hazardous waste trailer that travels to rural communities (Haven, Buhler and others), temporary litter‑pickup staff during windy periods, and a current staffing level of 23 full‑time landfill employees. She also noted compost and brush handling totals and that brush burning is used to manage vegetative inputs.

Ending: Megan closed by saying cell construction is the next major visible project at the landfill and invited questions; no follow‑up motions or votes were recorded.