HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — The Houston County Solid Waste Disposal Facility is poised for a major expansion to accommodate the region's rapid growth.
The landfill, located on a 2,500-acre property in southern Houston County, is nearing its final five years of available space for construction and demolition waste.
To address this, county officials plan to expand the landfill. The project is estimated to cost around $1 million and will take approximately five years to complete. However, these figures are not yet finalized.
The landfill is operated by the county government and is service-driven, unlike many privately-owned landfills. This means the facility is funded by the customers it serves, not by taxpayer dollars. Officials stated that the expansion will be financed through excess funds accumulated from customer fees.
Scott Feimster, a Houston County resident who uses the landfill services, supports the expansion, citing the county's growing population.
"People are always moving in here, and I think that would be a wise move to expand it preemptively from a growing population," Feimster said. “We’ve seen lots of growth in the county and so it makes sense.”
The project has received no public comments or opposition during recent county meetings. A final vote on the expansion is scheduled for late August.
Once the necessary permits are secured from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, work on the expansion will begin, ensuring the landfill can continue to serve the region's needs for years to come.
The director of public workers in Houston County, Brian Jones, says the expansion is necessary along with the growing population.
“This place provides a much more economic place for the garbage to go,” Jones said. “Through good management over the years, they make enough money to sock it away so that they can expand the landfill.”
In addition to the expansion, landfill crews are also exploring plans to incorporate green energy options. Since 2011, the facility has operated a landfill-to-gas power generation plant that converts waste into energy.
The upcoming vote will determine the exact cost and timeline for the expansion, setting the stage for continued growth and sustainability in Houston County.