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Company wants to build 'green' landfill here
The company announced Thursday its plans to petition state and local governments for approval of plans to create a solid waste and construction debris landfill along with a modern recycling center on a 1,550 acre parcel near McKown's Mountain. The new landfill, if approved, would be located just a short distance away from Duke Energy's proposed nuclear plant. The project would represent a $150 million investment by Waste Management. In a very visible attempt to generate support and lessen opposition, the company was announcing its plans concurrently with both county leaders and residents in the McKown's Mountain area with a strong emphasis on the proposed landfill's focus on recycling the material brought into the facility, which would limit actual disposal, as well as the company's planned efforts to protect the environment. Company plans call for more than 1,000 acres of the site to be maintained and protected as a wildlife and nature preserve and visual buffers, namely the large trees around the parcel, which will keep the landfill relatively out of sight. In addition, officials boosted the proposed facility's potential impacts on economic development and Cherokee County's bottom line. If Waste Management's estimates hold true, such a facility would generate close to $500,000 in property taxes, and roughly $2 million in tipping fees, to the county's budget each year. As an added incentive, Waste Management says it would be willing to sign a long term agreement to handle Cherokee County residents' trash free of charge. Along with the recycling aspects, which would sort all the trash for materials that could be remade into other goods, like plastics, metals and papers, Waste Management also is proposing to construct a methane gas facility at the location to collect the gas generated by the decomposition of solid waste and turn it into energy. Such a facility, said Randall Essick, senior manager for business development with Waste Management, could potentially generate enough energy to power 13,000 homes or other new businesses in the region. The facility would employ about 42 people if it goes forward. A new Waste Management facility here wouldn't be solely for the use of Cherokee County residents and businesses, however. Waste Management officials and spokespeople are proposing a regional facility that would collect, process and recycle refuse from a proposed 75-mile radius around McKown's Mountain. The anticipated activity of the facility, which would likely be open from about 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, would mean an extra 200 to 300 trucks on the region's roadways, officials estimated. Essick acknowledged that Waste Management had been looking for a site in Cherokee County for roughly a year and had been working with a local real estate firm to identify possible locations. The 1,550 acre site selected by Waste Management is being acquired from Wateree Holdings. A deed has not yet been filed. Though the area has a low population density, Essick and Rick Silver, vice chairman of the Chernoff Newman public relations firm, said Waste Management officials would be going out to personally visit with residents of the area to make their case. Also, Waste Management will be opening an informational office at the Willis Plaza so residents can ask questions and see the company's plans. Office hours were not set as of Thursday. All of the company officials and spokespeople who met with The Gaffney Ledger on Thursday acknowledged they expect opposition. Images of dirty, smelly landfills persist in people's minds. That's why the company has plans for a major public outreach in coming weeks. Also, Waste Management plans to build an education center near the facility to promote recycling and reusing waste. The company also plans to install at least five automatic recycling machines in the county to promote recycling. "We're going to work to convince county council this is good for Cherokee County," Essick said. However, the officials also said Waste Management will not be forcing the project on Cherokee County and would not go where it's not wanted. In terms of time lines, Waste Management plans to spend the next six months generating support on the local level before submitting an application with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control to operate a facility here. The DHEC approval process would take about two years, meaning a Waste Management facility likely couldn't be opened until 2011, even if all of the company's plans go smoothly. If the company files an application with DHEC, Essick said they would list the expected life span of the landfill at 30 years, though the expected operational life span of the facility could be longer depending on the percentage of recycled material that is removed from the waste stream. "This is an incredible concept," Silver maintained. The process being proposed by Waste Management is smarter and more environmentally friendly, he said. Waste Management executives had mandated that the project become a model for new landfills. "If this gets built here, they're going to be flying in a lot of people in here to see how it was done," Silver said. Essick said he couldn't discuss the actual acquisition costs of the land at this time but said the land purchase would represent eight to 10 percent of the $150 million project, which equates to $12 million to $15 million, or between $7,700 to $9,700 an acre. Essick said Waste Management generally likes to acquire 800 to 1,000 acres for such a project. Waste Management is a major player in the waste and recycling business. It operates 722 landfills and 341 transfer stations across the country, according to company records. Its latest quarterly financial statement also shows there's big money in trash. The company reported a net income of $318 million on revenues of $3.49 billion during the three month period that ended on June 30. |
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