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Alachua County authorizes RFP for solid‑waste transport and disposal and orders study of local alternatives
Summary
Citing a New River Landfill proposal that would decouple Alachua County’s rate from association members and raise county tipping fees toward $47/ton in 2029, the board authorized staff to advertise procurement for transportation and disposal services and asked staff to study local options including reopening/mining the Archer landfill, building a county landfill, composting expansion and chemical recycling.
The Board of County Commissioners on June 9 unanimously authorized staff to advertise a procurement for transportation and disposal services for the county’s solid‑waste stream while directing staff to analyze local and innovative alternatives.
Solid waste staff advised the board that the county’s current disposal agreement with the New River Landfill (a multi‑county association) expires Dec. 31, 2028. Gus Olmos told commissioners that New River’s recent rate study proposes holding the association members’ internal rate at about $30 per ton while allowing county charges to rise; "They're proposing to keep their fee steady at $30 per ton for the duration of [the] next 5 year cycle, and our [rate] jumps up to $47 per ton in '29 and keeps climbing for the next five years," he said. Olmos and staff recommended issuing a competitive procurement (RFP/RFQ) for transportation and disposal services, and noted that hauling distances to alternative facilities would likely require different contract structures.
Commissioners pressed staff to include environmental and transport‑distance criteria in any procurement. Commissioner Prizia urged the board to consider alternatives that reduce hauling and emissions (for example, expanded commercial organics collection and composting), and she asked that an RFP be structured as an RFP/RFQ that weighs environmental performance, not only price. Several commissioners urged staff to evaluate short‑ and long‑term options: reopening and mining the closed Archer landfill cell (which staff said could recover materials and create lined capacity), building a county landfill on a previously acquired site (Balu Forest) with required studies and community engagement, and pursuing emerging technologies (chemical recycling, refuse‑derived fuel) where feasible.
Staff emphasized that any local projects would take years to permit and construct and that the county would likely need landfill capacity for at least the next five years while alternatives are developed. The motion authorized advertising the procurement and directed staff to research and return with analyses of the local options discussed.
The motion passed unanimously. Staff said next steps include preparing procurement documents that weigh environmental and transport criteria and returning with analyses of local alternatives, estimated timelines and expected fiscal and staffing implications.
