Broward County commissioners have again deferred their vote on a series of proposals that would increase the size of the Monarch Hill Landfill.
The proposals have been deferred before, most recently in September.
At Tuesday’s commission meeting, nearly 60 people spoke during public comment, most in opposition.
READ MORE: Miramar mayor: New incinerator is 'threat to anyone's community'
The proposals would allow for the height of the landfill, known locally as Mount Trashmore, to be up to 325 feet tall — an increase of 100 feet — and expansion of the horizontal footprint of the site by almost 25 acres.
In exchange for the increase in size, Waste Management, the firm that operates the site, has promised the county that moving forward it will only deposit construction and debris waste into the landfill. Solid municipal and food waste, the culprit for the smell that affects nearby residents, would be shipped to a landfill site in Okeechobee.
Waste Management contends that at current size limits, the landfill only has six more years of capacity, and that in the event of a storm, the site could not take in any debris.
The staunchest opponents of the expansion have been the cities of Coconut Creek and Deerfield Beach, who border the site.
“I think we can do a lot better than what we're doing. I think these proposals are short sighted and it's based purely on profit for one organization,” said Deerfield Beach Mayor Bill Ganz. “If this is a relationship between Waste Management and Broward County, it's an abusive relationship.”
The county is also awaiting the results of the Solid Waste Authority Master Plan that will assess the capability of the current waste disposal system in the county and recommend improvements over the next 40 years with a goal of reaching zero waste. That report has been delayed, adding increased pressure to make a decision on the proposals. Currently a draft of the plan is expected in February or March. The report would then need to be formally adopted by the Solid Waste Authority, which could take a few months after that.
Commissioner Mark Bogen indicated he would vote against the proposals and cited Waste Management’s history of not delivering on promises made.
“My first year here [2015], I brought a videotape of the attorney for Waste Management saying this is the last time we're going to ask for an extension,” he said, “Here they are again.”
Vice Mayor Beam Furr, the commission’s expert on landfills, is strongly in support of expanding the landfill. He contends that ending the dumping of organic materials will not only get rid of the smell, but also reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. But he also notes that expanding the landfill is not a final solution.
“We buy ourselves time to construct and build a comprehensive disposal system in this county, complete with the development of a circular economy,” he said.
Ganz says that he is proud that residents will continue to voice their opposition to the proposals, but he is concerned that continuing to postpone a decision will reduce turnout.
“I think it's fantastic, but I also think meeting fatigue is a big issue.You're going to continue to defer it, continue to defer it. You start with 100 people, you go down to 75 to 25, and next you've got 5 people in the room while they're making a big decision,” he said. “We're going to keep our people engaged and make sure they're involved the entire way.”
The next discussion of the proposals is set for Jan 28.
