Wilson County board declines mattress-recycling arrangement, is told landfill has 25–30 years of capacity

Wilson County solid waste staff reported routine operations and recommended against partnering with a private mattress-recycler, citing space, staffing and health concerns.

"All of our mattresses go into the landfill and they are a problem," said Cindy Lynch, the department presenter, who gave the board its March activity update, including 177 cubic yards of landfill material for the month, about a 25-ton increase in recycling (about $1,000 in additional revenue) and 488 convenience-center loads removed in March. Lynch recommended the board decline a proposal from a company called Spring Back to collect mattresses for recycling because the plan would require 53-foot trailers at convenience centers and county staff to collect payments.

Lynch detailed the company's fee structure: $20 per mattress or $40 for a mattress with box spring. She told the board the county lacks space for semi-trailers, that employees should not be expected to handle potentially infested mattresses, and that charging a fee could prompt illegal dumping at convenience centers.

"We don't make anything. It's just a way that the mattresses won't go into our landfill," Lynch said, but added she did not favor the county collecting cash or having employees handle dirty mattresses.

Lynch also said an engineer and state guidance prohibit accepting shredded waste at the county landfill because shredded material has damaged monitoring wells; the county can accept non-shredded material at about $18 per cubic yard. On capacity, Lynch told the board the landfill has roughly 25 to 30 years of remaining life, holds a Class I permit, and the county controls about 600 acres with the option to apply for additional construction-and-demolition permits if needed.

The board approved the solid waste report and the presented status-quo solid waste budget by voice vote.

The vote: the board moved and seconded approval on the report and the budget; the chair called for the affirmative voice vote and members responded "I."