Caldwell Seeks Sanctioning of Existing Landfill Use

Caldwell County (NC) commissioners, in an emergency session on January 9, approved a plan to seek state permission to continue using an existing landfill that does not meet revised environmental standards. A state law effected January I requires landfills to have synthetic liners. Caldwell's existing landfill lacks such a liner, but the county, despite possible daily fines, admittedly continues to dump waste there to avoid hauling costs.

A new , suitable landfill currently under construction reportedly will not be ready before April. So Caldwell officials are proposing that the state allow the county to store household trash screened for leakage at the existing landfill and ship commercial trash out of the county. Any garbage stored at the existing landfill would be moved to the new landfill following its completion, a commissioner said. Caldwell officials had planned to present their proposal to the state an January 12.

Earlier, the commissioners unsuccessfully tried to persuade the state's Department of Environmental Health and Natural Resources to allow continued use of the existing landfill.