Alachua County authorizes procurement for waste hauling/disposal, asks staff to study local landfill, mining and recycling options
June 09, 2026 | Alachua County, Florida
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The Board authorized county staff to advertise for procurement of transportation and disposal services for Alachua County’s solid waste, and directed staff to analyze local alternatives and long-term strategies.
Solid-waste staff summarized negotiations with the New River Landfill (the county’s primary disposal site since the Archer landfill closure). Staff said New River’s board voted to remove a parity condition that had kept the county’s tipping fee aligned with association-member counties; under New River’s proposal the landfill would hold its member fee at about $30 per ton while Alachua County’s fee could rise to roughly $47 per ton beginning in 2029, with increases thereafter. Staff noted the county is the largest customer and supplies a majority of the landfill’s volume.
“$47 per ton is a big increase from our $30,” staff said, adding that the county had directed staff earlier to pursue a 5+5 extension and examine options. Commissioners asked staff to structure the procurement as an RFP/RFP-like process that considers environmental performance, hauling distances, landfill gas capture, and other non-price criteria instead of selecting solely on lowest bid.
The board voted unanimously to advertise the procurement and also requested concurrent work on a menu of local options: (1) developing a county landfill on the Balu Forest site (the county-owned parcel historically set aside for disposal); (2) pursuing landfill mining and cell lining at the closed Archer/Southwest landfill to recover materials and extend capacity; and (3) expanding organics diversion, composting, and emerging chemical-recycling or refuse-derived-fuel research partnerships with regional partners and academic institutions.
Why it matters: Staff warned the county should expect rising regional tipping fees and that the current New River association provision had shielded Alachua County from higher roadside fees for years. Commissioners and staff emphasized climate and distance impacts, the value of capturing landfill gas, and the potential environmental and economic benefits of a county approach that pairs a disposal site with stronger diversion and research collaborations.
What’s next: Staff will issue procurement documents for transportation/disposal and return with analyses of the local options and environmental criteria to be included in contract selection.
Solid-waste staff summarized negotiations with the New River Landfill (the county’s primary disposal site since the Archer landfill closure). Staff said New River’s board voted to remove a parity condition that had kept the county’s tipping fee aligned with association-member counties; under New River’s proposal the landfill would hold its member fee at about $30 per ton while Alachua County’s fee could rise to roughly $47 per ton beginning in 2029, with increases thereafter. Staff noted the county is the largest customer and supplies a majority of the landfill’s volume.
“$47 per ton is a big increase from our $30,” staff said, adding that the county had directed staff earlier to pursue a 5+5 extension and examine options. Commissioners asked staff to structure the procurement as an RFP/RFP-like process that considers environmental performance, hauling distances, landfill gas capture, and other non-price criteria instead of selecting solely on lowest bid.
The board voted unanimously to advertise the procurement and also requested concurrent work on a menu of local options: (1) developing a county landfill on the Balu Forest site (the county-owned parcel historically set aside for disposal); (2) pursuing landfill mining and cell lining at the closed Archer/Southwest landfill to recover materials and extend capacity; and (3) expanding organics diversion, composting, and emerging chemical-recycling or refuse-derived-fuel research partnerships with regional partners and academic institutions.
Why it matters: Staff warned the county should expect rising regional tipping fees and that the current New River association provision had shielded Alachua County from higher roadside fees for years. Commissioners and staff emphasized climate and distance impacts, the value of capturing landfill gas, and the potential environmental and economic benefits of a county approach that pairs a disposal site with stronger diversion and research collaborations.
What’s next: Staff will issue procurement documents for transportation/disposal and return with analyses of the local options and environmental criteria to be included in contract selection.
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