Franklin County Solid Waste Management Authority proposes to accept outside waste

The Franklin County, New York, Solid Waste Management Authority is waiting to hear back on a proposal to accept waste being disposed of in the Rapp Road Landfill in Albany, New York, a report by the Watertown Daily Times says. The authority’s board voted to submit the proposal to the Capital District Solid Waste Management Partnership, Albany, in October and expects to hear back in January.

The landfill is expected to reach capacity by 2023 and Albany officials are seeking solutions for the waste generated by the city and 13 surrounding municipalities, the report says. Albany officials issued a request for proposals in August for the construction of a transfer station at the Rapp Road Landfill that would accept the partnership’s waste in 2020. The proposal will be selected in January, the report says.

Tim Carter, a representative from the Franklin County Solid Waste Management Authority, says in the report the Albany officials are considering four proposals, including Franklin County’s. The county’s proposal is the only one from a municipal waste operation while the other three are from private waste disposal companies.

If the county wins the bid, the contract would generate $1.5 million to $4 million in annual revenues, the report says. The authority opened a new cell for waste at its landfill and has bonded for the construction of two more cells. The report says the three new cells will allow the landfill to accept 80,000 tons of waste per year for the next 30 years.

The Franklin County landfill is permitted for a total of 20 cells, which gives the landfill a 100-year lifespan at its current level of use, the report says. Adding the partnership’s waste would reduce the landfill’s lifespan to 50 years.