Loads to bear

Tontitown resists landfill, but loses again

The state commission that oversees whether communities dispose of trash properly, perhaps to no one’s surprise, says the landfill in Tontitown will continue to be the place where much of Northwest Arkansas dumps its rubbish.

Tontitown’s leaders say that’s not the final answer they’re willing to accept.

The lingering question is whether there’s anything Tontitown can really do about it. It will try, according to Mayor Angie Russell, who this week pledged an appeal of the commission’s finding that the Eco-Vista Landfill operated by WM Inc. can proceed with its expansion for Class 4 materials.

Class 4 materials largely include nonhazardous, bulky and inert waste, such as building materials. Household garbage is considered Class 1.

For decades, Tontitown was a welcoming place for the region’s only licensed landfill. The city approved agreements to be the host community and receives some fees from landfill operations. In recent years, residents affected by those operations have grown increasingly vocal in their frustrations. They assert a long list of grievances, including complaints that haulers litter city streets and fires break out frequently at the landfill site. They also cite air and water quality concerns.

The elected mayor and other city officials have officially declared the city antagonistic to the landfill’s continued operation in Tontitown, but thus far, that change of mood in the city hasn’t translated into legal success in trying to shut the landfill down.

The state Pollution Control and Ecology Commission’s approval of Class 4 expansion last Friday is the latest sign the landfill will continue functioning for years to come.

As we’ve noted before, whether Tontitown is able to succeed in its battle against WM and the state or not, the town’s resistance will at some point come into play. It may be years down the road. But it won’t likely be decades.

A big question is whether leaders around Northwest Arkansas are going to keep hoping to stick Tontitown with the region’s trash or will they realize the clock is ticking. Where the trash goes after the Tontitown landfill can receive no more is a critical question this growing region will have to address sooner rather than later. But, we suspect there’s a sigh of relief in cities and counties every time Tontitown officials lose a battle because the answer to “What’s next?” doesn’t exist yet.