Backup Documents 03/04/2025 Item #2B (Solid Waste and Collier County Landfill Long-Range Planning)Board of County Commissioners
Solid Waste and
Collier County Landfill
Long-Range Planning Workshop
Public Utilities Department
Dr. George Yilmaz, P.E.
Kari Ann Hodgson, P.E.
SCS Engineers, Inc.
March 4, 2025 1
2025 Solid Waste and Collier County Landfill Long-
Range Planning Workshop Overview
1.Workshop Purpose / Bottom Line
2.Integrated Solid Waste Management System History (in brief)
3.The Current Integrated Solid Waste Management System
4.Long-Term Disposal Options
5.Policy Direction / Action Items
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Workshop Purpose / Bottom Line
Return to the Commission to seek the following policy
direction:
1.Amend County Ordinance 2005-54 to Create a Single Solid Waste
District Comprised of Municipal Service Benefit Units I & II
2.Align the Landfill Operating Agreement with the Integrated Solid
Waste Management Strategy
3.Achieve Concurrence to Control Your Long-Range Solid Waste
Management Destiny
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Pre -2006 Solid Waste Management Priorities
BCC
March 24, 1998
BCC Workshop
December 20, 2000
Delony on recycling
January 27, 2004
Comm. Halas
January 27, 2004
April 18, 2006 4
2006 Integrated Solid Waste Management Strategy
Strategy Components
Environmental & Growth
Management Compliance
Airspace Preservation
Operational Excellence
Best Value Service
Source Reduction, Materials
Reuse, and Recycling
Diversion
Optimizing Existing
Assets and Resources
Obtaining Additional Facilities
Enduring Guiding Principles
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Solid Waste Infrastructure Overview
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2011North Collier
Tim Nance 2018Tim Nance Recycling (East Collier County)
Immokalee Recycling Drop -off Center
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Collier County Landfill
3730 White Lake Boulevard
Picture Taken: 2024
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Collier County Landfill Facts
• 311 Acres•184 Acres used for Landfilling•Opened 1976
• 2059 Life Expectancy
•The value of the remaining is approximately $600 million•35 years (AUIR 2024)•Based on BEBR population Growth & Average of 3 years landfilled tons
•2024 Statistics•106,000 Customers served•493,000 tons Managed•291,000 tons Landfilled•$30 million in Revenue
•Manages residential and commercial garbage for Incorporated and
Unincorporated Collier County (District I only)
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Mulching & Concrete
Operations Class III MRFLast Cell to Line Prior to
Vertical Expansion LFGTE Plant
Resource Recovery Business Park
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67%
Landfill
Disposal
Collier County has reached this goal since 2021
Only 3 other Counties have reached this goal
The Florida Legislature 403.706 established a
statewide weight-based recycling goal of 75% by 2020
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Action Item 1: Single Solid Waste District
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Benefits:
•Maintains service level parity
•Removes ambiguity - “Districts”
•Provides administrative
efficiency – statutory notices
Action Item 2: Align the Landfill Operating Agreement
with the Integrated Solid Waste Management Strategy
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Benefits:
•Maximize in-County disposal
capacity
•Establish in-place waste density
performance specification
•Long-term diversion
agreement(s)
•Solid waste
•Disaster-related debris
Long-Term
Disposal Options
Expand Existing Landfill
New Landfill
Technology Conversion
Landfill Reclamation
Out-of-County Disposal
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Action Item 3: Control Your Long-Range Solid
Waste Management Destiny
Considerations:
•Rail - Cost prohibitive
•Supporting Infrastructure
•Need a transfer station at RRBP
•Need an upgraded transfer station at Immokalee Site
•Significant traffic impact. Adds ~ 50 tractor trailers per day to
transfer waste out of county
•Closest private landfill is 2.5 hours away, one way
•Cost Control
•Currently the cost to transfer out-of-county is 135%
greater than the disposal cost at the Collier County
Landfill. Costs will likely increase up to 200% in less
than 10 years
Marion County is the only County comparable, in population,
to Collier County that does not provide final disposal in the
County.
Out-of-County Disposal
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Long-Term
Disposal Options
Expand Existing Landfill
New Landfill
Technology Conversion
Landfill Reclamation
Out-of-County Disposal
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Action Item 3: Control Your Long-Range Solid
Waste Management Destiny
New Landfill
Considerations
•In 1998-1999, 3 properties in Collier County were presented to the BCC for a future landfill
site. Ultimately, the County was sued for the potential acquisition and the BCC directed staff
to focus efforts on increased recycling and maximizing existing assets.
•The last new municipal landfill in Florida opened in 1998.
•It can take up to 10 years to site, permit, and develop a new landfill.
•Ideally, a new site would be 1,000 acres which would allow for adequate buffers.
•This approach would provide a long-term disposal solution.
•Landfills generally have lower capital and operational costs compared to other volume
reduction alternatives (e.g., WTE).
•Siting is the greatest challenge; land scarcity will likely increase, rather than decrease going
forward.
•Public opposition to new landfills in Florida is significant, driven by not-in-my-backyard
(NIMBY) concerns. Common objections include concerns related to odors, reduced property
values, traffic, and potential environmental impacts.
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Long-Term
Disposal Options
Expand Existing Landfill
New Landfill
Technology Conversion
Landfill Reclamation
Out-of-County Disposal
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Action Item 3: Control Your Long-Range Solid
Waste Management Destiny
Conversion Technology
Waste -to-Energy
Gasification / Pyrolysis / Plasma
Considerations:
•Waste -to-Energy (WTE) is the only commercially proven
volume reduction technology
•All waste technologies require disposal for residuals
County Actions
•1985 - The County issued a $88 million bond for a new
WTE Facility. In 1990 the concept was abandoned and
the bond was closed out
•1999 / 2000 – BCC directed staff to discuss a WTE
partnership with Lee County; at that time Lee County
was not interested
•2002 - The County issued a solicitation for a thermal
conversion technology, which was abandoned due to the
high costs
•2023 - The County issued an RFI for waste technologies,
with the majority proposing WTE
Current Actions - 2024
•Palm Beach County Commissioners authorized the
Palm Beach Authority to begin planning for a new $1.5
billion Waste-To -Energy Facility
•2015 WTE Facility cost to Palm Beach -> $672 million
•Miami-Dade County working to site a new WTE
Facility and is facing environmental justice & NIMBY
challenges
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Long-Term
Disposal Options
Expand Existing Landfill
New Landfill
Technology Conversion
Landfill Reclamation
Out-of-County Disposal
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Action Item 3: Control Your Long-Range Solid
Waste Management Destiny
Landfill Reclamation
Collier County Landfill Considerations:
•Landfill reclamation is typically
undertaken to address environmental
liabilities.
•Landfill reclamation to reclaim airspace is
not a common industry practice on large
active Subtitle D landfills.
•In Collier County, sections of the Collier
County Landfill has been reclaimed to
remove an environmental liability
associated with an old gun range (a portion
of cell 1) and to remove waste from an
adjacent 22-acre area to allow for lining
new cells (cells 1 and 2).
Immokalee Landfill Considerations:
•The Immokalee Landfill is unlined and
closed.
•Solid waste received at the Immokalee
Landfill is transferred for disposal out-of-
County.
•Immokalee Landfill is located in a portion
of the County that is experiencing rapid
and sustained population growth.
•Reclaiming the Immokalee Landfill would
create the opportunity to reduce a potential
environmental liability and develop new
disposal capacity for the future.22
460 acres 638 acres
604 acres 640 acres
2,342 acres
Considerations
Background:
•Reached capacity in 2003
•The total site is approximately 120
acres and the landfill footprint is
approximately 20.5 acre and is
approximately 80’ high
•Neighbors:
•Adjacent: Jail & County fleet
•Ave Maria
Reclaim & Expand
•Parts of Immokalee Landfill fall in
the Airport no fly zone (per County
Code)
•Surrounding sections are agriculture.
•Adequate buffers
•Still require a transfer station at
RRBP
•Economic impact
•Environmental impact: Reclaim
unlined landfill 23
Assess Viability to Modify the Permit to
Reactivate the Closed Immokalee Landfill
Long-Term
Disposal Options
Expand Existing Landfill
New Landfill
Technology Conversion
Landfill Reclamation
Out-of-County Disposal
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Action Item 3: Control Your Long-Range Solid
Waste Management Destiny
BACKUP SLIDES
West
Constrained
by City Gate
PUD
East
Section 31
South
2 Preserve Areas
North
Confined by
RRBP PUD
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CITY GATE
PUD EXPANSION
Eastern Expansion
•Requires land acquisition
•Modify LDC to permit a landfill
expansion in section 31
•Modify landfill PUD to expand
landfill east and contract with
vendor
•Modify NPDES, SFWMD, and
ERP Permits
•Modify the FDEP Permit,
including the Operating and
Closure Plans
•May require wetland mitigation
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CITY GATE
PUD EXPANSION
Million
Million
Eastern Expansion
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CITY GATE
PUD EXPANSION
•Requires land acquisition
•Modify LDC to permit a landfill
expansion in section 31
•Modify landfill PUD to expand
landfill east and contract with
vendor
•Modify NPDES, SFWMD, and
ERP Permits
•Modify the FDEP Permit,
including the Operating and
Closure Plans
•May require wetland mitigation
1,000’
1,000’
Million
Million
Southern Expansion
•Expand landfill property boundary
west to relocate stormwater that is
currently managed in preserve
areas
•Modify landfill PUD to expand
landfill footprint south and
stormwater management on the
305 Property
•Modify NPDES, SFWMD, and
ERP Permits
•Modify the FDEP Permit,
including the Operating and
Closure Plans
•Would require wetland mitigation 28
CITY GATE
PUD EXPANSION
Continued Actions
Consistent with past policy direction,
staff will continue:
•Maximizing source reduction, reuse, and
recycling
•Engaging stakeholders to solicit feedback
•Benchmarking performance with peer counties
•Evaluating best industry practices to enhance
current and develop new services and programs.
•Maintaining situational awareness of emerging
market trends and technologies
•Purchasing land for buffers and potential
landfill expansion
•Delivering best value solid waste management
services that are consistent with the Enduring
Guiding Principles
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Action Items
Return to the Commission to seek the following policy direction to direct staff
to:
1.Amend County Ordinance 2005-54 to Create a Single Solid Waste District Comprised of
Municipal Service Benefit Units I & II.
2.Amend the Landfill Operating Agreement to align with the Integrated Solid Waste
Management Strategy:
•Establish compaction performance standards to maximize airspace; and
•Long-term disposal capacity at the Okeechobee Landfill or Medley Landfill for municipal solid waste
and disaster debris.
3.Achieve Concurrence to Control Your Long-Range Solid Waste Management Destiny:
•A timeframe and cost flexibility to secure eastern properties to expand the Collier County Landfill;
•Modifications to the LDC, PUD, Federal and State permits;
•Negotiate expansion of the operational boundaries with WMIF, the Collier County Landfill operator;
and
•Engage with stakeholders and potential partners to revitalize the Immokalee Landfill.
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