While many people might not give a second thought to what goes into waste management, members of the Bradley Sunrise Rotary Club recently learned about the sloppy subject. Cheryl Dunson, executive vice president of marketing for Santek Waste Services, spoke about her company and what goes into creating sites like the Bradley County Landfill.
Dunson said many people do not realize Santek, a company which does business in nine states, actually has its corporate office in Cleveland. “Our mission is to provide the best solid waste disposal solutions with a commitment to cost-efficiency and environmental integrity,” Dunson said.
While the company does offer residential garbage pickup to thousands of people in the Southeast, it also manages 16 publicly-owned landfills. Dunson explained the company actually got its start when Chief Executive Officer Ken Higgins decided he could build a business on managing landfills.
She said Santek handles the construction and maintenance of local landfills, which she noted can “minimize” the costs to local governments. “Typically, their equipment needs are immense,” Dunson said. “We already have the equipment.”
The Bradley County Landfill was privatized in 1987, she said. Since then, Santek has been managing it. Though the company began offering waste collection services in 1998, Dunson said landfill management still makes up about 50 percent of the company’s business.
Due to regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency, Dunson said it can be quite expensive to start a landfill these days. She said it typically costs between $250,000 and $300,000 per acre to prepare a landfill site for use. That would likely result in a much pricier project if another landfill were to be built in Bradley County today. The current county landfill consists of 64 acres — 32 acres for the actual waste and 32 acres of land which serves as mandatory buffer.
She noted building a landfill requires a detailed hydrological study which ensures the landfill will not interfere too much with local groundwater supplies, wetlands or wildlife. Dunson also said she recalled being part of a public hearing back when the Bradley County Landfill was being planned. To her surprise, the room was “packed” with people who supported the location which was ultimately chosen.
She also explained the process of building a new landfill. Going into much technical detail, she explained that layers of clay, polyethylene liners, drainage rock and other materials are placed onsite to help protect the native soil from the garbage.
A system of pipes is also placed in the ground to drain the leachate — or “garbage juice” — which might otherwise oversaturate the landfill. That then goes to a sewage treatment plant. Groundwater wells are also onsite to allow workers to make sure the levels stay where they are supposed to be. Methane levels are also carefully monitored.
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