Expert recommends transfer station to solve landfill woes

Published 11:27 pm Monday, May 2, 2022

The Carter County Landfill Committee voted unanimously Monday to seek an engineer’s help in determining the future of the landfill, which is nearing the end of its life cycle.

“You have a transfer station that is too small and is past its life(span),” said Kim Raia, an environmental consultant with County Technical Assistance Service.

She suggested seeking an engineer with a background in both design and construction, as well as developing a phased-in capital plan to deal with the landfill. In considering options, Raia recommended the county consider creating a transfer station before expanding the Class III landfill, due to lower costs to permit and a shorter construction time.

Raia told the committee that the process to add another cell is lengthy, as the state looks at it as a major modification. “The permitting steps are lengthy and you can’t start construction until you get a permit,” Raia said. “It could be considered a lateral move, but it still takes the same time frame. The engineering cost is more on a new location than using an existing location.”

Raia cited a recent $2 million expansion in Cocke County which took three years to complete.

“As a rule of thumb, you can figure on 4,000 square feet and add 20 square feet for every ton of waste that is taken in on a daily basis,” Raia said. “I would recommend a 6,000 square foot transfer station. You can get a lot of bang for your buck on a good transfer station.”

She estimated the cost at around $1 to $1.5 million.

In other committee business, Landfill Director Benny Lyons said he has three driver openings – one due to retirement and two who quit. He has been seeking two Class A drivers and one Class B.

In April, the landfill took in $126,493 across the scales while sending out two loads of plastic to Eastman for a total of $7,936 and four truckloads of cardboard for $19,627 for a total of $27,563 in recyclable material for the month.