Reidsville planning board approves Clean Earth 10-day hazardous-waste transfer permit

The Reidsville Planning Board voted unanimously on Dec. 18 to approve Special Use Permit SU-2024-02, allowing Clean Earth Solutions to operate a 10-day hazardous-waste transfer facility at 211 Rockingham Drive.

Planning staff opened the quasi-judicial hearing by reading the evidentiary standards that govern special-use permits and swearing in potential witnesses, citing North Carolina’s statutory framework for land-use hearings. Planning staff described the site as industrially zoned (I-2), noted the nearest residential use is roughly 560 feet away, and reviewed ordinance requirements including 100-foot setbacks, impervious floor surfaces, continuous visual buffers where required, manifesting and recordkeeping, contingency plans, on-site access for inspections, and monitoring and cleanup-cost responsibilities.

Jim Guston, Clean Earth’s permanent compliance manager, said the company operates transfer facilities nationwide and that the Reidsville site would be used only for transport efficiency—not for treating waste or accepting medical waste. "We have a total of $15 million in liability," Guston said, describing the company’s general and umbrella liability coverage and saying the firm would hire independent laboratories if post-incident monitoring were required. He described UN-rated containers, shrink-wrapping and palletization, DOT manifesting, and staff training (DOT/EPA/OSHA refreshers) as safeguards to reduce off-site risk.

Board members pressed staff and the applicant on operational details including whether containers or activities would be within 10 days of on-site storage, who inspects the facility at the state or federal level, floor and wall containment, site access for emergency responders, and whether any on-site tanks would be used. Planning staff and the applicant said the 10-day rule refers to transfer facilities that may hold manifested hazardous waste for no more than 10 days during normal transportation operations; the applicant confirmed no tanks are planned, that storage and handling would occur inside the building and away from exterior doors, and that contingency plans would be submitted to the city prior to operation.

Planning staff read the required findings of fact and requested the board vote on each finding. The board found the use would not materially endanger public health or safety, meets required conditions and specifications, would not substantially injure nearby property values, and would be in general conformity with the city’s land development plan. A motion to accept the findings and to approve SU-2024-02 carried on a unanimous voice vote.

The permit approval includes the standard conditions discussed at the hearing: demonstration of compliance with state and federal hazardous-waste regulations, submission of a contingency plan to the City of Reidsville prior to operations, maintenance of liability insurance adequate to cover cleanup costs, provision of records and manifests for inspection by city representatives, and agreement to pay for monitoring and any required analyses in the event of an accidental discharge. The applicant indicated they would cooperate with the city on any additional site-specific safety measures identified by staff or emergency services.

The board closed the hearing after voting and moved on to other agenda items. The permit is recorded as SU-2024-02 and will be subject to the conditions read at the meeting.