SWA leases Cross State Landfill parcel to Coastal Waste; equine‑waste and biochar proposals discussed

The Solid Waste Authority voted Feb. 11 to authorize a lease with Coastal Waste & Recycling for a parcel at the former Cross State Landfill (RFP 26202). Staff explained the parcel was appraised and reduced after discovery of a drainage‑district easement; the usable area was 3.85 acres. The board accepted the evaluation committee’s recommendation to award the lease to Coastal for an initial $300,000 per year, a 20‑year term with two 5‑year extensions, and a CPI adjustment clause.

Four proposals were received in December 2025: Coastal Waste & Recycling (yard‑trash processing with proposed enclosed equine residual transfer and potential future biochar production), D.S. Ekins (continue/expand C&D recycling), High Point Agro Bedding US (equine residual processing proposal), and TreeCycle Land Clearing (incentive lease model proposing a $3 per‑ton discount on yard waste delivered by the authority). The evaluation committee recommended Coastal because it scored highest on experience and price; staff noted Coastal currently processes roughly 150,000 tons per year at a nearby facility and expected to expand operations.

Commissioners pressed whether equine‑waste transfer and biochar production would be required. Staff and legal counsel said the lease lists permitted uses but does not obligate the tenant to build all proposed facilities; Coastal and its representatives said they plan to operate yard‑trash processing immediately and will evaluate equine and biochar operations for economic feasibility. TreeCycle’s pitch argued an incentive‑based lease could generate substantial revenue at scale (TreeCycle estimated up to $750,000/year at 250,000 tons via a $3/ton structure) and asked the board to consider options that retain processing and revenue locally.

Mayor Baxter moved to approve the lease to Coastal and the motion passed unanimously. The board directed staff to work with Coastal to explore equine‑waste processing feasibility and to consider coordination (for example, matching future yard‑waste guarantees) that could make equine processing more viable, but the board did not impose a contractual obligation requiring Coastal to build the equine or biochar facilities as a condition of the lease.