White County landfill to double daily intake as new cell and infrastructure come online

Tom Brandon provided the Solid Waste Committee with an operational update for the county landfill, saying the facility is currently accepting about "600 tons per day" and the county should expect that to "ramp up to 1,200" in the next two to three months as a new cell and internal road are completed.

Brandon said phase one of the new landfill cell is full and phase two is under construction, and that a new entrance and scale house are in place. "We have plenty of capacities as we move forward in the year," he said, noting an internal road and a new cell will help drivers dump safely.

He framed the recent partnership with the private operator as a cost-saving measure, calculating that if the county were still hauling to the Morristown transfer station at an estimated $65 per ton, the county’s previous disposal arrangement would amount to roughly $1.7 million per year in disposal costs for the county-only volume he cited. "Hats off to you guys for allowing us and trusting us in a partnership," Brandon said.

Committee members asked about the status of a nearby convenience center. Staff said construction of the center is complete but the building awaits electrical hookup; an initial plan to run electricity underground was revised because of potential interference with an on-site septic system.

The committee did not take a formal vote on operations; the update was informational. The Solid Waste Committee confirmed its next meeting for May 4 and reminded the public that full court will meet April 20 at 6:00 p.m.