City requests 30% waste cut for haulers as DNR grants temporary landfill space

St. Joseph city leaders provided the latest update on an ongoing capacity crisis at the landfill and shed light on heightened efforts to work with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources on solutions.

With a potential soft closure looming by April that would prevent all residents and haulers from using the landfill, DNR officials approved a four-month expansion to operate two active areas at Cell 7 at the landfill, opening up 51,020 cubic yards of space for solid waste disposal and the relocation of a portion of backlog of temporary waste.

As an added measure to create additional flexibility and ensure it remains open, the City Council and Landfill Task Force are requesting waste haulers in St. Joseph and surrounding areas voluntarily cut 30% of their tonnage going to the landfill effective Feb. 1.

“Additional measures could be necessary if tonnage is not reduced,” a press release from the city said. “This is critical to keep the landfill operational in the short term until an answer comes from DNR on the horizontal/vertical expansions of waste and completion of cell 8.”

The measure does not apply to residents reducing their waste by 30%. Customers should still dispose of their trash as normal for haulers to collect.

As a result of the city’s proposal, haulers who participate will have to absorb the cost of traveling to another landfill to dispose of the remaining 30%, costs that will likely have to be passed down to customers to mitigate higher transportation costs.

According to the DNR website, the closest transfer stations to St. Joseph are 35 minutes to an hour away in Cameron, Maryville and Kansas City while the closest landfills are in Sugar Creek, Warrensburg, Macon and Sedalia, all more than an hour away.

The upcoming agenda for the Monday, Feb. 3 — City Council meeting shows the city is already preparing in the event reductions don’t reach the desired target.

Councilmembers are expected to vote on a mandatory 30% waste reduction ordinance for all city-licensed businesses Monday, one that would take effect on March 1 and last until the next cell opens.

At the same time, the DNR is reviewing larger requests by the city for vertical and horizontal expansion of waste storage, two measures that would open up a considerable amount of temporary space if approved. The agency is aiming to respond by Feb. 28.

“The Department of Natural Resources has expressed their awareness of the challenges facing the landfill and is committed to collaborating with us to find solutions,” the release stated.

The landfill is facing a significant backlog of temporary waste caused by a 50% increase in tonnage over the last five years combined with cell construction delays and strained staff resources.

The influx of waste is attributed to years of low and stagnant dumping fees incentivizing large commercial haulers to dump trash in St. Joseph.

“Rates over the past twenty years at the landfill have increased by only two dollars. This is not consistent with the cost of living increases on any other utility or expense. The recently passed tiered rate increase is the first step to addressing the long-term sustainability of the landfill.”

As a condition of the DNR’s space approval at Cell 7, the landfill must be kept free of wind-blown litter and must control odors from the operation of two active faces.

Thursday’s announcement comes after a two-hour work session was held Monday with community haulers to discuss options and receive input for reducing waste with time quickly running out on available airspace.

“We all need to work together to address both the immediate and the long-term challenges. This is a tough issue we are faced with, and this community comes together every time to resolve the tough issues,” Mayor John Josendale said. “I am extremely appreciative of both the task force and the community’s input on this, and the due diligence of staff. Working together constructively, we will find the necessary solutions for the long-term sustainability of the landfill.”

Waste reduction efforts are one layer of the city’s ongoing plan on multiple fronts to create airspace flexibility at the landfill and prevent a shutdown.

After scrambling to get bids out for contractors to build a new cell, City Council will vote on a $1.1 million contract with M-CON, LLC, on Feb. 3 for emergency excavation work for Cell 8. The new cell could potentially be complete by the fall.

“They’re mobilizing now. We are also going to talk about cell 9 simultaneously to get that going,” Schumacher said on Monday. “We put a $25,000 incentive if we’re (finished) in 30 days, $5,000 a day penalty if they go past 45, 60 days. So we’re incentivizing them.”