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Consultants advise transfer station, availability fee as landfill nears capacity in Transylvania County
Summary
Consultants told the Board that Transylvania County’s landfill has roughly six to seven years of capacity left and recommended building a transfer station at the county-owned Calvert site while shifting funding to tipping fees plus an availability fee to close a roughly $500,000–$580,000 annual shortfall.
Consultants from Smith Gardner Engineers told the Transylvania County Board of Commissioners on May 11 that the county’s municipal landfill has limited remaining capacity and that the most practical near-term option is a transfer station rather than on-site landfill expansion or waste‑to‑energy conversion.
John Barnard and Mike Brincheck, the consulting team, reported the county manages about 33,000 tons of waste a year (roughly 110 tons per day) and that the currently permitted disposal cell (Cell 7 at Woodruff Road) is expected to provide approximately six to seven years of remaining capacity. They said waste‑to‑energy and other conversion technologies are economically infeasible at the county’s scale, noting such facilities generally require thousands of tons per day to operate efficiently.
"We recommended construction of a transfer station at the Calvert site because it has better access to utilities and roads and would reduce permitting risk while the county evaluates longer‑term options," Barnard said, describing the consultants’ preferred site and rationale. Chairwoman Teresa McCall emphasized during discussion that no decisions were being made at the meeting; the Board was receiving information and asking questions.
The consultants presented a 20‑year cost comparison that ranged from about $107 million to $111 million depending on the option modeled, but they stressed that a transfer station carries lower permitting and implementation risk and can be brought online more quickly than expanding the existing landfill. They identified Haywood County’s White Oak landfill among regional disposal options that could receive hauled waste.
On funding, the consultants said the system currently operates at an annual deficit (reported as roughly $500,000 in one presentation slide and about $580,000 based on FY2024 actuals) and modeled several approaches including higher bag fees, increased tipping fees, and the adoption of an availability fee assessed on improved parcels. Their preferred approach would reduce on‑site cash handling at convenience centers and spread costs more evenly across properties that use the service.
County staff and the consultants recommended a series of community meetings to solicit public input on disposal options, potential rate changes, and equity concerns such as effects on renters and residents in areas not accessible by curbside service. No formal decisions or ordinances were adopted at the meeting.
Next steps: staff will return with additional recommendations and a public engagement plan as the county continues planning to maintain disposal capacity and financial sustainability.
