Macon-Bibb County is looking at a landfill crisis.
The Inert landfill in Bibb County is not accepting any more yard waste and will officially close within six months.
The Environmental Protection Division required the Inert landfill to close after it did not meet state regulations. The closure will cost $1.2 million, mostly to truck in soil to cover the landfill, and the Solid Waste Department is currently attempting to figure out where that money will come from.
In addition, the Municipal Solid Waste landfill, better known as the garbage landfill, is expected to close in only a little over three and a half years. The landfill is expected to reach capacity in April of 2019.
The landfill increased its garbage by 20 percent this year due to garbage from demolished blighted structures.
“Over the years, putting all the waste in there and stuff, it’s really accelerated here lately due to the increase,” said Macon-Bibb County Solid Waste Director Kevin Barkley. “We’ve had about a 20 percent increase in the landfill due to some of our initiatives to get the community cleaned up.”
If the Municipal Solid Waste landfill closes in 2019, it will take around $9 million dollars to cap and close it officially, totaling to over $10 million dollars to close both landfills.
Solid Waste Department officials say they will be working on recycling programs to cut back on Macon-Bibb County trash.