Waste Management: landfill operating ~500 tons/day; company outlines asbestos intake and containment procedures

Waste Management representatives briefed the steering committee on operations at the county landfill and answered questions about asbestos and capacity.

Steven Clark, introduced by Waste Management’s Tom, said the facility is receiving approximately 500 tons per day from the surrounding region and that construction work is progressing through Phase 1A toward Phase 1B, which will include a new entrance off Old Kentucky Road. Clark described sequencing from lateral to horizontal fill and said a liner and drainage system will be installed during the horizontal phase.

On asbestos, Clark outlined standard procedures: a contractor assesses whether material is friable or non‑friable, the generator (typically the contractor) submits a notification to TDEC, the waste is manifested (generator, transporter, disposal site) and, if received at the county facility, GPS coordinates are recorded. Friable material is typically bagged and placed in a pit and then covered with earthen material (in other words, entombed). Clark said the facility follows strict employee safety and handling protocols and, in response to a commissioner’s question, stated the facility’s intake process results in "0 exposure" to the public.

Residents asked whether Waste Management would contribute to road improvements; county staff answered that Waste Management is using a state road (Old Kentucky) and any improvements would require coordination with TDOT. The company representative also confirmed the old capped cell will be encapsulated with clay and a geocomposite liner and that the county expects to use vertical space above the closed cell rather than reopening it.

The update included operational details but no formal county action beyond the earlier motion to pursue negotiation of adjacent property pending environmental study.