Odor complaints continue to drag on landfill operators’ plans for expansion. That was the case with Republic Services’ Coffin Butte Landfill, which appeared poised to proceed with a long-planned expansion of the facility before an eleventh-hour notice from state regulators spurred local officials to reconsider their approval.
Meanwhile, residents appeared to have succeeded in nixing Noble Environmental’s plans for a rail-to-truck transfer station in Southwest Pennsylvania, though it may continue to explore options to increase tonnage for its largest landfill.
Below is a selection of recent notable landfill news.
Commissioners reverse Coffin Butte expansion approval
Commissioners in Benton County, Oregon, voted 3-0 on Tuesday to deny Republic Services’ application for an expansion of its Coffin Butte Landfill. The decision was a reversal of a previous decision made by the county commission in November and came after state regulators flagged potential odor violations at the existing landfill site.
In an emailed statement, an unnamed Republic Services spokesperson said Benton County erred in its decision. The company has spent years attempting to expand the site, which serves a sizable portion of western Oregon. Its current application would add 59 acres of surface area and enable an additional six years of operation.
In their March 3 meeting, county commissioners drew from the advice of the county planning commission, which recommended a denial. The planning commission in turn cited a pre-enforcement notice sent by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to Republic on Nov. 6, two days after Benton County had voted to approve the expansion. The notice flagged landfill gas leaks at Coffin Butte and included seven potential violations related to surface emissions monitoring, the gas collection and control system and the landfill cover.
Following the November vote, opponents of the landfill told county staff they planned to appeal the approval. The county board then voted to withdraw their approval and reconsider based on the appeal, after which the county planning commission was able to consider the DEQ notice as evidence. The planning commission said the notice raised serious questions about the landfill’s ability to manage odor complaints.
Planning staff also noted in their review of the application that while the nearly 50-year-old landfill should be considered part of the character of the area, the current tempo of landfilling is more recent and subject to scrutiny. According to the document, annual tonnage increased from 500,000 in 2017 to 1.1 million today. Those changes, combined with the odor concerns, prompted their recommendation.
Republic’s spokesperson argued that the issues mentioned in the pre-enforcement notice were addressed in part following U.S. EPA inspections in 2022 and 2024, which first uncovered landfill gas leaks. The company further noted that “[o]ther matters are in the process of being addressed.”
The company is evaluating next steps. It still has the ability to appeal the decision to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals for 21 days after the decision.
Noble Environmental abandons rail transfer station plans
After community pushback, Noble Environmental withdrew an application for a permit to construct a rail-to-truck waste transfer station in Snyder Township, Pennsylvania, the Courier Express first reported. The proposed facility would have brought in more waste to the Greentree Landfill, which Noble has owned since 2022.
The company has been upgrading its facilities in the state after receiving approval for a $100 million bond from the Pennsylvania Economic Development Financing Authority in September. The company has since begun work on several plants to convert landfill gas to renewable natural gas at its portfolio of landfills.
The transfer station was one option Noble had pursued to bring additional waste to the company’s largest landfill. In a statement, Jefferson County commissioners celebrated Noble's decision to withdraw its permit application.
Noble subsidiary Lampwrights had also proposed a four-mile line that would cross two counties and handle one inbound and one outbound train per week. The fate of an associated rail line development project is unclear.
Noble sought approval from the federal Surface Transportation Board, and received some early favorable decisions from the regulator. But locals opposed the project, saying it would cut off a key road and may cause harm to a sewer line and protected wetlands.
Other landfill news
- Rumpke is currently seeking a five-year renewal for its Montgomery County, Kentucky, landfill permit, but drawing complaints from residents about odors. The private operator proposed a 180-acre addition to the facility, which has about 7.5 years of remaining capacity. (Fox 56 News and WKYT)
- WM is preparing to close down operations at its Evergreen Landfill in Blairsville, Pennsylvania, on March 6. The company delayed the closure as it finished construction of a new hauling facility nearby. (The Indiana Gazette)
- The South Coast Air Quality Management District in California issued three violation notices related to a spike in odor complaints for the Frank R. Bowerman Landfill, which is operated by Orange County Waste & Recycling. County officials said they were surprised by the number of complaints and that the public authority was working to address them. (The Orange County Register)
- Meanwhile, OCWR is also planning to double the amount of waste coming to its Prima Desecha Landfill from 4,000 tons per day to 8,000 tons per day. Construction work on the expansion was paused after a county supervisor flagged concerns. (Voice of OC)
- A county judge in Tennessee is weighing a decision on a bid from Louisiana-based Trinity Business Group to reopen a landfill in Maury County. The proposal would reopen an old Monsanto landfill facility and accept 1,000 tons of waste per day. (The Tennessean)
- Linn County, Iowa, has approved a memorandum of understanding to explore the expansion of an area landfill operated by the Cedar Rapids Linn County Solid Waste Agency that serves several jurisdictions. The landfill is filling more quickly than expected, and is now expected to reach capacity at 2036 rather than 2044 if the expansion is approved. (Iowa News Now)
