FILLING UP
Landfill ready to expand into third phase
The first phase of Cedar Glades Landfill took 15 years to fill after the county opened it in 2000, but phase 2 will be filled in about half that time.
The $100,000 appropriation the Garland County Quorum Court Finance Committee advanced Monday night would pay for engineering costs to open phase three. County Judge Darryl Mahoney said the county recently opened the final cell of phase two.
The landfill has five phases that make up the more than 60-acre footprint designed to absorb a century’s worth of construction and demolition debris, appliances, furniture and other bulky items the landfill’s Class 4 permit allows it to receive.
The top of the landfill can strain closer to its 250-foot cap as more cells and phases are opened. Building out horizontally maintains slope ratios that keep the landfill’s dirt, shale and hay covering from getting too steep and eroding. Mahoney said compactors that can detect soft spots in the debris have helped the county make more efficient use of the airspace.
The $100,000 would be appropriated from the solid waste fund, which supports the landfill and weekly collection of more than 20,000 residential trash carts in the unincorporated area of the county. Part of the 0.50% sales tax the county levies also supports the landfill, with 17% of the proceeds going to the solid waste fund.
The $12.76 million 2023 solid waste budget the quorum court adopted appropriated $50,000 to the engineering and architectural line item.
Trash backup
Mahoney said trash piled up last week when the county had nowhere to take its Class 1 waste.
The ice storm closed the Saline County Regional Solid Waste Landfill in Bauxite Tuesday and Wednesday. The three-county solid waste district that includes Garland and the city of Hot Springs takes its degradable waste, or household garbage, to Bauxite.
Mahoney told justices of the peace the Cedar Glades Landfill’s truck drivers worked overtime to clear the backlog.
“By Thursday we had loaded every trailer that we own and every truck and every bin we have,” he said. “We worked a full day just catching up.”
He said the Saline County site opened Saturday but charged its holiday rate. Per the solid waste district’s disposal agreement with Republic Services Inc., its members pay a $19.25 per ton tipping fee. The holiday rate is $38.56.
Mahoney said the county took Class 1 waste to Waste Management of Arkansas landfills in North Little Rock
and Pine Bluff when Republic closed its Bauxite facility.
Cedar Glades Landfill accounted for more than a third of the $25,426 the county paid in overtime last month. Mahoney told JPs three of the more than a dozen positions budgeted for truck drivers are unfilled, requiring other drivers to work more hours.
Litter
The committee of JPs Mahoney formed to address litter discussed partnering with schools, civic groups and nonprofits to clean up county-maintained roads.
Mahoney said he would like the county to organize an annual litter removal event similar to the Arkansas Trash Bash.
“Our county is beautiful,” Mahoney, who formed the committee after getting complaints about litter in the unincorporated area, said. “There’s no reason to let it go like this.”