Savannah residents will have more dumping ground this year as the city continues to expand the Dean Forest Landfill. The Dean Forest Landfill site is approximately 1,000 acres. The three expansion cells will be a total of 41 acres in size and will offer more disposal capacity for city residents. The project is expected to be completed before the end of the 2022 fiscal year, depending on rain delays. The expansion at the Dean Forest Road Landfill, one of two city landfills, went into construction in 2018, and, according to Quhannah Andrews, Interim Director of Sanitation, it was extremely necessary. “The Dean Forest Landfill is currently being expanded, which will add 15 to 20 years of usable capacity,” she said.
Georgia Power will also be enabling more landfill space through their Ash Beneficial Use project at Plant Bowen near Cartersville, Georgia. The project consists of millions of tons of stored ash that will be excavated for use in concrete to construct bridges, roads and buildings in southeast Georgia and throughout the Southeast. Officials say this is the largest beneficial use project of its kind in the U.S. and the largest ever for Georgia Power.
Coal ash has been demonstrated to provide significant value to concrete because it adds strength and durability. Opportunities for the beneficial use of stored coal ash also help reduce the need for raw materials otherwise used in production.