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County officials warn landfill capacity under eight years; commissioners approve annual reports
Summary
County staff reported the landfill has about 2.5 million tons of remaining permitted capacity and, without permitted expansion, could have less than eight years of airspace remaining; commissioners accepted the landfill and transfer station annual reports and were told permitting and expansion planning must move quickly.
Lycoming County officials on June 8 presented the annual reports for the county landfill and transfer station and told commissioners the county faces limited remaining permitted airspace.
Gary, who presented the report, said the county’s remaining capacity is “about 2.5 million tons,” and that under current assumptions the landfill has fewer than eight years of remaining airspace without an approved expansion. He warned permitting for newly acquired land could take up to five years, leaving a short runway to implement a different plan if state approvals are delayed.
Commissioners discussed the urgency of permitting and next steps. The board then voted to accept the landfill and transfer station annual reports. One commissioner said the figures come from Department of Environmental Protection rules and are “very, very strict guidelines” used to calculate remaining capacity.
County staff said the expansion is critical to continued operations and that they have purchased additional land and are pursuing permitting. No specific funding or timeline beyond the permitting estimate was adopted at the meeting; commissioners framed the report as a call to accelerate planning and permit work.
The motion to accept the reports carried with the board's assent.
