Wicomico council hears warnings on landfill capacity, plans ban on out‑of‑county trash as Cell 7 work accelerates

Wicomico County officials told the County Council on July 15 that the Newland Park landfill is filling faster than earlier surveys indicated and urged rapid action to extend capacity while the council considers an ordinance to bar out‑of‑county trash.

County landfill staff and outside engineers described recent aerial surveys and on‑site measurements showing steep increases in annual tonnage and limited remaining airspace. Acting landfill superintendent Adam Corey said crews are working multiple operational fixes while preparing to construct Cell 7, and that day‑to‑day operations now require splitting staff and equipment across multiple tasks: “we're effectively splitting our crew in half if not into thirds almost every day of the week,” Corey said.

The council and staff framed two near‑term responses. First, staff has proposed restricting acceptance of commercial haulers’ loads that contain waste generated outside Wicomico County. Second, the county is advancing the design and permitting for Cell 7 and exploring a horizontal expansion across adjacent county parcels. Department of Law and outside consultant EA Engineering described how changes to the county’s refuse disposal permit, state approvals and…