Sometimes when you work on something so hard you have to share it with others and this is one of those times. For the past 5-6 months (it seems like years), a few of us have worked on a Memorandum of Understanding between the county, Advanced Disposal and the citizens that live in the area of the landfill (we call them stakeholders). Honestly, I knew very little about landfills when I started in this process but I know far more now. Our board approved this MOU last night and I want to highlight some of the great things it gives our county and this community that it didn’t have before.
1. Code enforcement will be allowed to enter the facility and have a staging area to issue tickets to trucks that are overweight, who don’t pull their tarps and who don’t wash their tires coming in or out of the landfill. Advanced will also put up large signs warning trucking companies of the risk of fines if found in violation.
2. Access to the county of the past three years of financials of Advanced to ensure we are paid correctly on HOST fees and viewing of their gate security video to make sure all trucks weigh in properly.
3. Advanced will increase their HOST fees to 1.50 a ton sometime next year and $2.00 a ton by January 1, 2028. If the state increases fees (which they likely will) ours rates goes up by the same amount of state increase. These adjustments raise the HOST fee payment to the county by around $30-$40 million over the life left of the landfill.
4. The county will run a waterline along Old Federal road that is south of the landfill and along Blanton Lane and Advanced will pay the tap fee of $1600 per house, for any house that requests it.
5. The county will adopt an ordinance prohibiting coal ash from being dumped in the county, and no leachate spraying or misting. Advanced has agreed to abide by such an ordinance.
6. Advanced agrees to not seek any additional expansions of the landfill past the footprint from the 1993 special use permit.
7. The county will seek to beautify Old Federal road intersection.
8. The county will put EPD reports about the landfill(s)on the county’s webpage.
9. Advanced will coordinate better communication with the stakeholders through a community website, newsletters or emails or text.
10. Advanced will implement odor mist curtains on the landfill to help with odor control and cover with dirt as well. Our code enforcement person can inspect if needed.
11. The county will hire an environmental engineer or solid waste specialist to be a liaison to the stakeholders and to answer their questions and concerns as well as be a watchdog on the landfill.
12. Advanced will now exclusively provide space for Forsyth County garbage in the future, where they didn’t have space set aside before. They will guarantee us space until the landfill closes and will give us a two year notice prior to its closing.
13. County enforcement officials will now have full access to the landfill for inspection, monitoring, compliance, and citation purposes.
14. Advanced will share (split) all of its well water samples (state required) with county personnel so we can test them as well. The results will be shared between Advanced and the county, and citizens can review the records as well.
I’m certain I’m forgetting some things and this isn’t official record as I’m only writing from memory. I want to thank the stakeholders for their commitment to make things better, Advanced Disposal and the county for trying to make things better and Ken Jarrard and Chairman Levent for their assistance. It’s not signed yet but everyone has verbally agreed and the board approved unanimously. I thank all of the board for their support with their vote. We aren’t finished with everything but I’m so proud of how far we have come with this agreement in making positive changes for northwest Forsyth. I look forward to getting some things implemented and working toward the achievement of this new plan. Thank you Lord for answered prayers in bringing this all together.
Cindy J. Mills
Forsyth County BOC/D4