Not only does the Perdido Landfill provide gas-to-electricity to the surrounding communities, but they also are involved in Escambia County’s environmental programs, fighting groundwater contamination and keeping up with regulatory compliance.

 

Established in June 1980, the Perdido Landfill, located in Cantonment, FL, is operated by Escambia County’s Department of Solid Waste Management, as an integrated municipal solid waste facility. It currently accepts various recyclables, i.e. metals, plastics, paper, cardboard, glass as well as e-waste, paints, concrete, asphalt, vegetative debris and shoes. Because the Escambia County Solid Waste Department serves the 300,000 citizens of Escambia County, the City of Pensacola and the Town of Century, collecting residential, commercial and industrial waste, the Perdido Landfill itself collects about250,000 tons per year of waste and recycling annually.The facility currently employs 40 staff members in various roles including Equipment and Scale Operators, Mechanics, Engineering and Environmental personnel, Financial and Customer Service staff, Recycling Management and Education personnel and uses approximately 70 pieces of light to heavy equipment, from four wheelers and front loaders to 120,000 lb waste handlers.

 

Innovative Programs

Since Escambia County is home to Pensacola Beach, the 2010 BP oil spill and current economy have had a significant impact on this area resulting in a decrease in tourism and, consequently, less generation of commercial solid waste. However, according to Patrick Johnson, Director of Escambia County’s Solid Waste Management Department, the decreases in business have been offset by lowering operating expenses, such as privatized recycling processing, internalized operation of transfer station and using Caterpillar’s certified rebuild program for heavy equipment replacement and reducing personnel. As a result, Johnson points out that business is currently stable.

 

In order to stay ahead any challenges, the Department has received permitting from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for the mining closed unlined sections of the Perdido Landfill. Since it is essentially uncovered, excavated, screened, soil is stockpiled for future use and approximately 70 percent of the excavated material is beneficially reused as daily cover. There are also plans for the construction of approximately 45 acres for future landfill expansion.  The first phase of mining started in fall of 2009 with 17 acres of mining completed in 2011. Mining will be intermittent across the 45 acres as needed to expand landfill disposal capacity. Johnson says, “Mining was selected because for several reasons—removing a source of groundwater contamination, recovering overburden soil, providing a daily cover and allowing expansion of the landfill on existing site footprint.”

 

Since recycling in the community is strictly voluntary, specific recycling programs are developed and budgeted to promote reduce, reuse and recycle. Recycling drop off centers—centrally located in the community in order to assist rural areas as well as multi-family dwellings and businesses that are not eligible for curbside recycling programs—neighborhood clean ups, curbside collection and residential collection of Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) programs are offered to citizens and operated consistently.Thedepartment also supports a variety of HHW community amnesty events including Regional Roundups, Clean Sweep program and the City of Pensacola’s program.Regional Round Ups are quarterly events typically held on Saturdays at local High Schools for free drop off of household hazardous waste; Clean Sweeps are typically held Community Redevelopment Areas to allow for proper disposal of bulky waste, waste tired and household hazardous waste; and the City of Pensacola program is the same as the Clean Sweep within the City limits. Johnson is proud of the fact that the Department currently has a 43 percent recycling rate. Because theFlorida Statute states that: Each county shall implement a recyclable materials program that shall have a goal of recycling recyclable waste by 50 percent by December 31, 2014, Johnson says that the ultimate recycling goal is 75 percent by December 31, 2020.

 

With respect to safety, Johnson points out that the Landfill is approaching two and a half years without a lost time injury.In order to stay on top of safety issues a full-time Safety Technician is employed todevelop and maintain safety program, provide training and conduct accident investigations.  In addition, the staff conducts safety briefings every morning highlighting the risks associated with the operation. “We routinely examine incidents in detail which occur in the industry and we have worked diligently to establish a safety culture on and off the job. In addition, our Landfill provides consistent routine training for staffhealth and safety, waste screening, landfill operations, heavy equipment operating and hazardous waste operations refresher,” says Johnson.

 

Protecting the Enviroment

The Perdido Landfill has developed a set of procedures with the goal to protect the surrounding environment from contamination, including leachates and landfill gas. Says Johnson, “All of our Subtitle D landfill cells have modern liner components with leak detection systems. Leachate is collected and temporarily stored at two large lined basins, aerated and then conveyed to the local WWTP for proper treatment. However, Johnson expresses that they are in the process of evaluating alternate leachate disposal methods such asartificial wetland treatment and use of local paper mill treatment system.

 

The Landfill also has a gas collection system that operates under Title V regulations. Landfill gas is captured and conveyed to a landfill gas-to-electricity plant. Currently, the Landfill has a 20-year contract in place with the local utility company, Gulf Power, for the sale of landfill gas to electricity to surrounding homes in the area.Any excess gas is burned by a flare and landfill gas quality and boundary emissions are routinely monitored for environmental compliance. The Perdido Landfill has also generated a Request For Informationtowaste conversion technology vendors for alternate waste disposal technology likepyrolosis, hydrolysis, gasification.However, Johnson says that at the moment, there is no schedule for implementation.

 

The Perdido Landfill also has trained spotters perform waste screening at weigh stations, citizen drop off facilities and an active Class I landfill to identify prohibited waste— tires, batteries, paints, liquids, herbicides, fluorescent bulbs—which is required by the State of Florida. The Department also conducts countywide inspections of small quantity generators of hazardous materials such as printing inks, paints, spent solvents, waste degreasers, cleaning compounds, and by-products of chemical processes for regulatory compliance as well as uses onsite artificial wetlands for contaminated groundwater treatment. The wetland treatment system has been designed and permitted to remove volatiles from contaminated groundwater from the old closed landfill portion of the Perdido Landfill.

 

Successes and Ongoing Challenges

Currently, Johnson stresses that the decrease in revenue has been challenging and as a result they have decreased operating and personnel expenditures accordingly. “Unfortunately, lack of pay increases for staff has been challenging. We have a well-trained and dedicated staff who deserve fair compensation. So, in an effort to maintain morale and productivity, we have worked hard to be able to offer other types of incentives such as employee of the month/year programs, grant leave time for a job well done, flex time schedules, casual work wear days, leave buy back opportunity, employee appreciation events, tuition reimbursement and Commercial Drivers License training.”

 

Groundwater contamination at closed landfills has also been a challenge. “We work long and hard to resolve one issue, but then the parameters change and then we need to work again on making those changes,” says Johnson.” In addition, improperly operated privately owned landfills that have become a public health and safety hazard have been challengingbecause of the health advisories issued due to heavy smoke, fire and ashes impacting surrounding neighborhood and school. “In one instance heavy dust, odor and traces of hydrogen sulfide became a health concern,” says Johnson.As a result, the County has established ordinances that require permitting and compliance inspections that the Department manages and enforces.

 

However, Johnson believes that the fight for trash seems to be an ongoing battle. The Perdido Landfill’s challenge to move from the historical source of revenue from tip fees to other sources of revenue to fund programs poses significant challenge during these times.“At this point the only other source of significant revenue we have realized is the successful sale of landfill gas to electricity. However, due to the fact we have expended significant funds associated with permitting and monitoring of private landfills, some discussion has ensued associated with charging fees to these facilities to cover the costs of this activity.”

 

Despite multiple challenges, Johnson is also proud of the fact that the Perdido Landfill has been the model for excellence. In 2009, thesolid waste programreceived SWANA’s Gold Landfill Management Excellence Award and in 2010, the Landfill received SWANA’s Bronze Public Education Outreach Award and the Landfill Methane Outreach Program’s community partner of the Year. He also points out that the Perdido Landfill Gas-to-Electricity program has been a steady revenue source for the County as well as proving to be a very beneficial relationship with Gulf Power. “It has helped improve the quality of the gas collection system while reducing emissions.” The program, which began in 2010, will extend through to at least 2030. On average, the electricity generated is enough to power approximately 1,500 homes.

 

Looking Ahead

Johnson says that the Perdido Landfill’s ongoing objective is to continually evolve their programs in place to provide sustainable waste services well into the future. We are currently soliciting information associated with alternate waste disposal technology and conducting a feasibility study to convert excess landfill gas into Bio-CNG. Our goal is to consistently benchmark our operation and continue to be involved in research/development of the next generation of waste resource management and to never stop asking ‘What if?’”

 

For more information, contact Patrick Johnson at (850) 937-2160 or visit www.myescambia.com/government/departments/sw.

 DSC00276 DSC00291 DSC00293 DSC00300 DSC00302 DSC00319 PerdidoLandfill Scalehouse 7[1] Veron scale house[1]

 

 

 

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