Madison County is in the process of planning for the long-term future of its solid waste management system. Located on Buyea Road in Canastota, the county landfill site includes the main office, scalehouse, and ARC Recycling Center for haulers. The Madison County Solid Waste Department also oversees four transfer stations — Buyea Road, Cazenovia, Hamilton, and Sullivan — where residents can dispose of their household garbage and recycling if they do not use a private hauler.
According to the county, the solid waste department does not receive revenue from taxes; instead, it is run as an enterprise fund and funded by user waste disposal fees that must be sufficient to support the entirety of the solid waste management system, including landfill operations, recycling, transfer stations, special programs, capital expenses, and future liabilities.
In 2021, the Madison County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution to hire Cornerstone Engineering and Geology, PLLC to conduct a study of the long-term sustainability of the current Madison County landfill operations. According to a new webpage focused on the long-term planning for the solid waste department, the county is concerned about the financial viability of the current operations because it does not want ever-increasing disposal fees to financially burden the community.