Solid waste commission discusses Walker Mountain Landfill’s next phase

Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023–10:22 a.m.

-David Crowder, WRGA News-

The Rome-Floyd Joint Solid Waste Commission is looking ahead to the next phase at the Walker Mountain Landfill.

On Tuesday, the commission heard that phase 8, which is the current phase, will reach capacity based on the current capacity report in 2027 or 2028, which is sooner than originally anticipated.

“We’re still solid for many, many years into the future,” said Floyd County Manager Jamie McCord. “That’s why this committee is so important, so we can report on our financial activity and cash flow, and make sure we are making good, solid decisions.”

One of those decisions was the elimination of construction and demolition debris.

“Financially, it didn’t make sense,” McCord added. “We were going to spend more money than it was actually going to save. So, we are putting our C and D materials in our Subtitle D [non-hazardous waste] area. We still have a good plan going forward and this committee is doing a good job managing it for the city and county.”

Phase 8 was designed in 2021 and opened in early 2022.

“You have to realize too that it’s a valley fill landfill, so you have it building on top of one another,” McCord explained. “Phase 8 was one of the smaller ones that filled in a void. Phase 9 is the final phase in our current design, but it’s one of the larger and will be the last on the very top.”

McCord told the commission that there is no need for panic, but they do need to be prepared and start accumulating cash to pay for the next phase.

Tire disposal events still on the table

The Solid Waste Commission also continued discussions regarding plans for some sort of plan to address the issue of old tires ending up in creeks or on the side of the road.

“Commission Mark Cochran brought this up at our last meeting in December,” McCord said. “It’s always been an issue. The tip fees are $300 a ton. They are just very difficult to dispose of and they cannot go into the landfill.”

Options include a possible amnesty day, or a couple of days, where residents can dispose of tires for free. The city is also looking at possibly doing some sort of curbside pickup.

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