Wake County

Solid Waste Management Division

Winter 2017
Next Meeting
South Wake Landfill Citizens Committee

The next South Wake Landfill Citizens Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 12 from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at the Holly Springs Cultural Center , located at 300 West Ballentine Street, in Holly Springs.

The South Wake Landfill Citizen Committee was established in 2006 prior to the opening of the landfill with the purpose of:
  • Providing a forum for neighbors of the landfill to have a voice in its continuing development
  • Providing a conduit for information between Solid Waste staff and the neighboring community regarding activities at the landfill
If you are interested in becoming a member of the South Wake Landfill Citizens Committee or plan to attend the next meeting, please notify us ahead of time, to be sure there is enough seating .
Happy Trails
Christmas Tree Recycling


Wake County residents are asked to help enhance trails at County parks by recycling their undecorated Christmas trees  from Monday, December 26, 2016 through Sunday, January 22, 2017. Trees collected will be chipped and used to mulch park trails at Harris Lake Park, Crowder Park and Bass Lake Park, among others.
The following Wake County Convenience Centers will accept trees, daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.:
The following County parks will accept trees daily from 8 a.m. until sunset:
Christmas trees must be undecorated (remove ornaments, tinsel, lights, etc.) to be accepted. For more information about the program click here.

Landfill Tours
On hold until 2018

Residents taking a landfill tour for Earth Day
The public tours of the South Wake Landfill wrapped up on December 21st with 642 people taking tours in 2016. 

Tours will reconvene in 2018 after completion of the site's improvement projects. Check back on our website in 2018 for the new tour schedule. 
Upcoming Event
Compost Bin Sale

The Earth Machine Compost Bin

For the month of October, Wake County Solid Waste Management Division hosted a discounted compost bin pre-order sale to encourage residents to divert more organic waste from landfill. 

The pre-order sale was so popular that the County has decided to continue to offer discounted compost bins sales events each spring and fall. The next pre-order sales event is scheduled for March 2017. 

To learn more about backyard composting and the compost bin pre-order program click here
Autumn Leaves and Other Yard Waste
Not Accepted

While Wake County does not accept yard waste or leaves at the South Wake Landfill and County Convenience Centers, each municipality within Wake County has its own yard waste management program . Please refer to the links below to find information about yard waste management in your town:
 
Traffic Statistics
Number of Garbage Trucks

Month Trucks/
Day
Trucks/
Month

December
136
3,676
November
142
3,539
October
143
3,728
September
135
3,505
August
144
3,896
July
135
3,519

The above table shows the number of garbage trucks tipping at the South Wake Landfill for six months from July thru December 2016. The landfill is open Monday through Saturday from 7:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
Stay Connected
Join us on Facebook
Wake County Solid Waste Management Division is on Facebook sharing information on waste reduction, reuse, recycling and waste disposal services in Wake County. To stay up-to-date on the latest news and events connect with us on  Facebook .

Have Questions?
Telephone: 919.856.6424
Address: Wake County, Solid Waste Management Division, P.O. Box 550, Raleigh, NC 27602
Director: John W. Roberson,  PE 
Odor Control Update
Changing Weather Patterns

The South Wake Landfill area came to the end of the "malodorous season" at the end of November.  Going forward, we will provide odor complaint statistics in each issue of the newsletter, similar to below:
2016 Sep Oct Nov Dec
Avg complaints per day
1.6 1.4 3.5 0.8
Highest # complaints in a day
21 5 25 7
Date highest # complaints received
9/21/2016 10/10/2016 11/16/2016 12/9/2016
# days zero complaints received
19 12 15 17

In a continuing effort to decrease odor issues, Wake County is in discussions with Waste Industries about purchasing and installing a new type of odor control system by July 2017. This timing will allow us to be prepared for when the wind direction is unfavorable once again from August thru November. Follow this link to learn about the type of system we are investigating and considering.  

Wake County values your input.   If you notice objectionable odors in your neighborhood or other areas around the South Wake Landfill, please consider the following when submitting an online odor complaint form:
  • Please submit your complaint as soon possible after the odor is detected, so that we have a better chance to visit the trouble spot. We do this to make sure the odor is landfill related and not something else (such as the wastewater plant, adjacent neighbor's overflowing garbage container or some other unusual issue).
  • Keep in mind that an odor categorized as a "sewer related smell" is very unlikely to have originated from the landfill. The South Wake Landfill does not receive that type of waste as a rule. Odors that are common along Hwy 55 nearer the intersection with US 1 (Bojangles area) are almost certainly from the Apex wastewater plant - those odors are not the type of odors generated at the South Wake Landfill.
South Wake Solid Waste Facilities
Redesign and Expansion Project Update
South Wake Facility Redesign Schematic Site Plan

Wake County is currently in the bidding process for the redesign of several facilities at the South Wake Solid Waste Management Facilities in Apex.  Significant improvements to the site include increased collection capacity for waste and recycling materials, improved traffic flow and new drive-up/drop-off collection bays for customers. To watch a short video of what the new site will look like when construction is complete click here

The expansion project is expected to take 14 months to complete. Construction is anticipated to start in the March 2017 timeframe, putting completion around July 2018. All facilities will remain OPEN during construction. Residents can expect some traffic delays, but no closures. Residents will need to play close attention to signage as there will be changes to traffic patterns to accommodate keeping the facilities open while the site is under construction. 
 
Project u pdates w ill be shared in future newsletters and committee meetings.  Send any  questions about the new facility or traffic flow changes to Wake County Solid Waste .  
Tree Planting Program Update
Survey Results & Proposal
As noted in our last newsletter , Wake County Solid Waste Management Division has offered to sponsor a tree planting program for neighbors of the South Wake Landfill. It is intended that these trees would help beautify neighborhoods and, in time, divert the view of the landfill from homes.

Wake County asked residents of the Forest Springs subdivision to complete a survey (Forest Springs is the landfill's closest neighbor, with many homes having a view of the landfill). Please note that the tree program will be available to any neighbor, if the landfill can be seen from their property. 
 
There are about 259 homes in Forest Springs and 134 completed surveys. The overwhelming result is that many residents would be interested in having a tree program established. 
  • 50% of respondents can see the South Wake Landfill from their home and/or property
  • 90% of those who can see the landfill from their home said they would be willing to plant and care for a tree on their property
  • 90% of all respondents are in favor of having trees planted in certain common areas of Forest Springs (e.g., subdivision entrance, pool area, playground)
  • 80% of all respondents said they would be willing to help plant trees in the common areas.
OBS Landscape Architects has prepared a draft proposal for the tree program and it is currently under review by Wake County. The goal is to present the tree program proposal at the next citizens committee meeting on Wednesday, April 12, 2017 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Holly Springs Cultural Center. If you are not a member of the committee, but would like to attend the meeting, reserve a seat by emailing ahead of time.
Landfill Partial Closure
Phase 1 Closure Project Update

Wake County is currently in the bidding process for the partial closure of Phase 1 of the South Wake Landfill. The closure project is expected to take 14 months to complete. Work is anticipated to start around March 2017, putting completion around July 2018. 

Twenty-two acres of Phase 1 will be capped with a three foot deep liner system, comprised of twelve inches of clay, followed by a plastic geomembrane liner, a composite drainage net, eighteen inches of soil and six inches of topsoil and vegetation. 

The closure project will assist with greening the hill and provide for better odor control and environmental management. Project u pdates w ill be shared in future newsletters and committee meetings. 
Bald Eagles 
Hunter or Scavenger?
Municipal Solid Waste Landfills have become foraging grounds for numerous bird species and the South Wake Landfill proves no exception. Landfills provide an accessible, consistent food source especially in the cold winter months and support large populations of avian species, such as the Bald Eagle, in numbers that would otherwise be unsustainable elsewhere. 
Juvenile Bald Eagles are a mixture of brown and white
Landfills provide a lower quality food source for a Bald Eagle, but the ease and accessibility is what make them so attractive, especially to juvenile eagles, whose hunting skills are still developing Despite being a formidable hunter Bald Eagles are the ultimate opportunists. Not only are they adept at hunting, but they will readily scavenge carrion (dead flesh, like road kill), and steal from predators and scavengers alike, including gulls, crows and even the occasional eagle.  
Bald Eagles develop white feathers on their head and tail in their 4th or 5th year
The South Wake Landfill has seen large numbers of visiting Bald Eagles this December, with what seems like almost every pine tree that lines the perimeter road adjacent to the working face with a Bald Eagle or two, perched high on a branch. For the opportunity to view these birds of prey take a tour of the South Wake Landfill during the fall/winter season when their numbers are greatest. (Public tours reconvene in 2018 after completion of the redesign project). 
All photos courtesy of John Williams