Waste Management representatives gave the Board of Commissioners their annual report on Great Oak Landfill operations, convenience sites and county payments.

Bob Peeler (senior manager for community relations and government affairs) said Waste Management has returned approximately $17.6 million to Randolph County since 2014, with the last two fiscal-year payments of $1.63 million and $1.43 million. Joy Jones summarized that the company funds convenience-site operations at county cost and noted the partnership supports six convenience sites that are free to residents. Mike McFeely, district manager of the Great Oak Landfill, said the operation accepted roughly 672,000 tons in the last fiscal year, has 20 local employees and has constructed about 70 of the planned 190-acre footprint.

Commissioners pressed Waste Management for more granular data: site-level tonnage and cost breakdowns for the six convenience sites, and information on the sharply higher tire tonnage and disposal costs. Waste Management said each convenience-site transaction is weighed and tracked by site and offered to provide a breakdown. The company reported paying Central Carolina Holdings roughly $390,000 for tire disposal in the last fiscal year and said demand for tire disposal continues to increase; delays can occur when contractor trailers are not quickly returned.

During public comment later in the meeting, Susan Scott raised separate water-quality concerns, saying recent testing in Asheboro detected 1,4-dioxane at levels she described as nearly 30 times the EPA maximum safe level and asking what 'Waste Industries' is doing to contain that pollutant. Peeler and Waste Management did not address that specific dioxane claim during the report presentation; the comment was recorded for follow-up.