Habersham County commissioners this week voted to stop accepting construction and demolition (C&D) waste at the county landfill on February 29, 2024. They stopped short of closing the cells due to debris coming from the pending old courthouse demolition beginning around that same time.
The move was the latest in the ongoing discussion over how the county will handle its solid waste disposal needs moving forward.
In August 2015, the landfill was estimated to last another 60 years. Six years later, in August 2021, engineers estimated it would last 22 more years. However, in October of that same year, then Public Works Director Derick Canupp estimated the landfill only had about 15 years left before reaching capacity.
Talk of purchasing nearby forest land to expand the landfill appears to have gone nowhere and strict environmental regulations eliminate the possibility of using the dump sites past their capacity.
Remaining capacity
The county had the landfill surveyed by an engineering firm to give them a better timetable for the remaining longevity of the landfill. The survey was conducted at the end of August of this year.
Interim Solid Waste Director Johnny Vickers delivered the results of that survey to the county commission at a work session in September. The firm, Hodges, Harbin, Newberry, and Tribble, Inc., reported at that time that the C&D cells only had about eight to eight and a half months of longevity before reaching capacity.
The municipal solid waste (MSW) cells have approximately 17 years left before they’re full.
Warning from Vickers
Vickers warned the commission during a work session on December 18 that by continuing to accept C&D waste after reaching capacity, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) could impose penalties for violating the landfill’s EPD permit.
Commissioner Bruce Harkness asked for clarity about the MSW timeline that Chairman Ty Akins addressed by explaining that it still had 17 years before reaching capacity.
Commissioner Bruce Palmer added, “That doesn’t include growth.” Palmer explained that was something he asked a consultant about a couple of years ago. “Did they include growth in their estimates? They don’t,” he said.
Lifespan keeps decreasing in capacity
Palmer explained that 10 years ago, the landfill was estimated to last till about 2070. But since that time, the estimated lifespan of the landfill keeps decreasing and it is due to growth in the county.
Harkness asked Vickers if the 17 years were contingent upon discontinuing accepting construction and demolition debris. Vickers responded, “Yes, it is.” Palmer added, “And not putting C&D in the MSW cell.”
Vickers explained to the commission that they needed to give at least a 60-day notice to the citizens and contractors before stopping the acceptance of C&D waste so they could make arrangements with other locations that accept that type of waste. He said giving a 60-day notice would be fair to those currently working on construction and demolition jobs so as to not create a hardship for them.
