Bradley County landfill has 30 years left, study concludes

A steady flow of residents drop off aluminum cans, cardboard, newspapers and plastic at the Bradley County Recycling Center on Urbane Road on a wintry Saturday afternoon.
A steady flow of residents drop off aluminum cans, cardboard, newspapers and plastic at the Bradley County Recycling Center on Urbane Road on a wintry Saturday afternoon.

CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- The Bradley County landfill has another 30 years of life remaining, according to a 2014 study performed by Santek Environmental, which manages the site on behalf of the county.

In a recent meeting, a Santek presentation to the Bradley County Commission reported that waste management efforts resulted in increased recycling participation by residents and more than $300,000 generated in landfill hosting fees last year.

Bradley County Mayor D. Gary Davis praised the health of the county's waste management program.

"Sixteen years ago, the landfill had four years of life left and we were operating in the red," Davis said. "Do the math on it."

Plans are in the works to expand the landfill, which is located near Exit 20 off Interstate 75, toward the west, said Cheryl Dunson, executive vice president of marketing for Santek.

In December, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation issued a permit allowing Santek to make major modifications to its disposal facility.

The proposed expansion, which would amount to 64 acres, still would leave a 64-acre buffer between the landfill and other properties, Dunson said.

Collection of recyclable materials saw significant gains in nearly all major categories last year, with residents dropping off 966 tons of recyclable paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, aluminum and mixed plastics combined.

This represents an increase of 19 percent over 813 tons of the same materials in 2013.

"The figures are a sign that the recycling centers are well-used by Bradley County's population base," Dunson said.

While the recycling program tends to be relatively revenue-neutral, it does provide the key benefit of contributing to the landfill's life, county officials said.

At about 656 tons, paper continues to make up the greatest single recyclable category.

Plastic intake, which was re-established in May 2010, has seen the largest recent growth of the large-volume categories. In 2014, residents dropped off 93 tons of mixed plastics, an increase of nearly 40 percent over the 66 tons collected in 2013.

Hands-on experiences at the recycling centers tell a similar story of increased recycling.

"We see new folks here all the time," said Randy Barnes, who manages the Bradley County recycling center on Urbane Road. "On Saturdays folks are often lined up well before we are open."

The Peerless Road recycling center saw a jump of 260 percent of its collection of electronics, taking in 15,070 pounds in 2014, compared to 4,175 pounds in 2013.

More than 600 families dropped off more than 38,000 pounds of paint, 22,000 pounds of electronics and more than 3,500 pounds of pesticides and solvents during two collection events in 2014, Dunson said.

Paul Leach is based in Cleveland. Email him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.

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