The Troup County Board of Commissioners took the first official steps Tuesday to move forward with plans to expand the county’s construction and demolition landfill.

In order to choose the location for a new landfill, Georgia law requires that a public meeting be held to describe the process of choosing the landfill location and discuss waste management needs. Although this is not a public hearing, the meeting must be announced and open to the public.

The current C&D landfill on Parmer Road is filling and is expected to be full in about two years. The county plans to expand the landfill onto adjacent county-owned property, but the state requires an extensive site selection process managed by the Georgia Division of Environmental Protection, part of the Department of Environmental Protection. Natural Resources of Georgia, which has the authority to regulate and permit landfills.

Once the EPD makes a decision regarding the suitability of the site for solid waste disposal, engineering can begin for the proposed facility, which is then further evaluated by the State before a final green light is given.

The county’s C&D landfill has been in operation since 1991 and is currently operated by Troup County Waste Complex. When they took over in 2021, we knew that the landfill was filling up and that it would either have to be expanded or a new one built.

Officials with the Troup County Waste Complex said the current C&D landfill only has two to three years left. The planned expansion will give it decades of additional life.

The adjacent sites were selected as potential expansion properties in 2021, when the county entered into an agreement with Troup County Waste Complex to operate the landfill.

County Engineer James Emery explained that a public meeting and county resolution are needed to begin the process of choosing a site for the expanded landfill.

The resolution to move forward with plans to expand the C&D landfill was unanimously approved by commissioners.