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County solid-waste director warns Mount Vernon landfill could fill by 2037 as fees rise
Summary
Joe Hery, deputy director of the Southwest Agency, told the City Council that the agency will raise its tipping fee to $50 per ton on July 1 and that current projections put the landfill near capacity by February 2037 unless the Marian setback agreement is revised. He said transfer operations would substantially raise disposal costs.
Joe Hery, deputy director for the Southwest Agency, told the City of Mount Vernon council that the agency’s FY26 budget will include a modest increase in its tipping fee and that the region’s landfill is approaching capacity.
“We formed back in 1994…we do not receive any taxpayer dollars. All of our services and programs are all funded by our landfill tipping fee,” Hery said, and announced the general tipping fee will rise from $48 to $50 per ton on July 1. He also described unchanged or adjusted minimum vehicle fees for residents and higher rates for specialty and bulky wastes.
Hery outlined market constraints that affect recycling income, saying paper, cardboard and metals have buyers while many plastics (types 3–7) currently lack viable markets. He urged residents to focus on plastics labeled 1 and 2 and to keep materials clean to reduce contamination.
On landfill capacity, Hery provided the council an updated projection that the active landfill area is likely to be full around February 2037, revising an earlier estimate of 2036. He said a 28E settlement with the city of Marian requires an 1,800-foot southern setback on the site; if Marian does not agree to a change, that constraint will limit expansion.
“If we could use the DNR regulations of having a 50ft setback we…have space out there at current rates until 2066. But when we asked them, they said no which is their right,” Hery said, describing ongoing discussions with Marian and a subcommittee Marian formed to review possibilities.
Hery said design plans for Phase 5B need to be decided by the end of the year because design choices are irreversible once submitted. He warned that if the county must stop landfilling and switch to transfer operations when County Home Road fills, disposal costs could jump: "the tipping fee instead of being $50 per ton…if we were doing this now as transfer, it'd be like 90 $95 per ton." He noted that transfer is the next-cheapest option after landfilling and that alternatives such as incineration or mixed-waste processing are much more expensive.
Hery also highlighted diversion programs intended to reduce landfill pressure, including a mattress-recycling partnership that charges $20 per mattress (split between the processor and the agency) and an expanding furniture-refurbishment program serving people exiting homelessness.
The council took no immediate final action on the landfill’s long-term plan but will monitor the agency’s outreach to Marian and the design deadline for Phase 5B. Hery said he will return with updates as talks continue.
What’s next: city and agency staff will track Marian’s subcommittee work and the design schedule for Phase 5B; the agency said it will report back to council with any formal proposals or changes.
