Landfill Ends ADC Pilot Project

At an emergency board meeting, the board of directors of the Metro Waste Authority (MWA), based in Des Moines, Iowa, has voted to end a pilot project at its landfill that had involved using alternative daily cover (ADC) that was made from mixed C&D materials.

The reason for the stoppage was for H2S (hydrogen sulfide) odors reported off-site by MWA employees. A report prepared by an outside consultant said that H2S odors had occurred at other landfills across the country.

In addition at the board meeting, a staff person presented data that showed the ADC had not been made to specifications agreed upon by the landfill and the two recyclers supplying the material under the pilot project contract. Because of that, the board decided that the pilot project was null and void, allowing it to revert to an original contract MWA had with the two recycling firms. This contract does allow the acceptance of C&D fines as ADC if the material meets the standards outlined in the contract, according to the MWA. 

The two recycling companies, Taylor Recycling of Iowa and Phoenix Recycling, were allowed to present their side of the argument and asked for more time to show that the operators of the landfill had not followed best management practices on how to properly use the material. They also say they can present evidence to back their contention that the material is safe and has been used successfully in dozens of places across the country.

However, the MWA board has sided with staff personnel who told them that the building-related-based ADC could be harmful because of H2S and that it needed to immediately terminate the use material that does not meet the standards detailed in the agreement. Material that does meet the standards will be accepted though, according to an MWA spokesperson.