Virginia C&D landfill proposes deal

A 101-acre construction and debris (C&D) landfill in Dumfries, Virginia, could get a height increase if the facility’s president gets his way. According to an article on Potomac Local Media LLC’s website, the facility will soon be the largest landfill of its kind after the upcoming closure of a similar landfill in Lorton, Virginia.

The article states that the debris now stands at height of 220 feet, while an order from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality states it needs to be reduced to be a maximum of 195 feet tall.

The president of Potomac Recycling, Philip C. Peet, which operates Potomac Landfill, proposed a new deal with the Town of Dumfries that would allow the landfill to continue piling up debris on the site, up to 250 feet tall over the next 20 years, when the landfill is expected to close.

In exchange for the increased height, Potomac Landfill will offer to pay Dumfries up to $3 million over 20 years. The article notes, it will be the only C&D landfill in Virginia to pay a host fee.

The fees, about $2 per metric ton when the program is fully implemented in 2019, is expected to net $150,000 per year for the town, states the article. It would be paid based off the materials that end up in the landfill. Potomac Landfill sifts through and separates as much wood, concrete, dirt, metals, and cardboard from truckloads hauled into the landfill. It sells the materials to firms that will recycle it.

Public meetings about the landfill’s proposal were held on July 27 and Aug. 4.

If the plan is approved, Potomac Landfill will begin paying Dumfries 50 cents per metric ton of debris buried at the landfill. Once plans are finalized with the DEQ, the town will get $1.50 per metric ton, and will be paid $2 per ton once all practices in place by 2019.

According to the article, if the plan is approved, a new berm will be constructed to hold the additional debris to be piled into the landfill.