An expansion of the landfill in Rhea County will extend its life by 30 years or more while reducing odor and better managing methane gas emissions, according to county officials. County officials said surrounding counties stand to benefit, too. “When we bought that land years ago, we bought about 200 acres, and we only permitted about 38 acres of it, and we’ve operated that until now,” County Executive Jim Vincent said in a phone interview. “We’re about two years — at the max — from capping it off.”
That portion will be closed after the new one is opened. The permit issued by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation on Dec. 28 authorizing the new landfill covers the transition from the old landfill to the new one, according to the permit. Vincent said he worked about a year to get the permit, which allows an expansion of about 40 acres at the property off Smyrna Road about halfway between Dayton and Spring City.
“What that does is it gives us another entirely new landfill, that has a life expectancy — depending on how much outside waste I let come in — of 35 to 40 years, so it puts us in wonderful shape,” Vincent said. “The financial drain on counties that do not have landfills is really harming them financially.”