Wake County

Solid Waste Management Division

 Spring 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 .
Celebrate Earth Day
All Month Long





In honor of Earth Day, every April 22nd, Wake County Solid Waste will be celebrating our commitment to protecting the environment and public health by hosting several FREE public events, all month long.

On Saturday, April 1, Wake County's anti-litter campaign,  86it,  kicked off the month with a litter clean-up event in southeast Raleigh.  75 volunteers helped beautify the neighborhood and prevent litter from harming local wildlife by filling 119 bags of trash and recycling.   
You can do your part too and enter to win a great prize at the same time by c hecking out a litter kit all month long  and conducting your own clean-up event. Anyone who checks out a litter kit will be entered into a contest to win a $100 Visa gift card.  
On Saturday, April 8, at 10 a.m. Wake County in collaboration with Sonoco Recycling will be providing tours of the Sonoco Recycling facility in Raleigh. In addition to touring the facility and learning how the materials are sorted, attendees will also learn why it's so important to recycle right and the impact their household can have on improving the local economy.

On Saturday, April 22, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. the Solid Waste Management Division  will host a family-friendly composting event  in north Raleigh to help residents learn how they can put their food and yard waste to better use. Residents will be able to learn about a FREE food waste drop-off recycling program, they can watch a backyard composting demonstration, and visit vermicomposting booth to learn about composting with worms.
For more information about Earth Month celebrations click here.
Traffic Statistics
Number of Garbage Trucks

Month Trucks/
Day		 Trucks/
Month
March '17
136
3,664
February '17
132
3,171
January '17
141
3,520
December '16
136
3,676
November '16
142
3,539
October '16
143
3,728











The above table shows the number of garbage trucks tipping waste at the South Wake Landfill over a six month period, from October 2016 thru March 2017. The landfill is open Monday through Saturday from 7:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
Noise Reduction System
New Back-up Alarms on Heavy Machinery







To help reduce the noise from back-up alarms on heavy machinery at the landfill, while still ensuring employee safety, a white noise back-up alarm was installed on a compactor as part of a test conducted by Waste Industries and Caterpillar, Inc. 

The results of the test case were so successful that Waste Industries will be installing white noise back-up alarms on all heavy machinery at the South Wake Landfill with white noise back-up alarms. The transition to white noise alarms comes at a good time in the development of the landfill as the working face is at it's closest proximity to the Forest Spring's sub-division.

To hear a sample of a white noise back-up alarm click here. These devices work by not only changing the noise to a more palatable sound but also by directing the noise in the appropriate direction. 
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 
Website:  www.wakegov.com/recycling 
Odor Control Update
South Wake Landfill
Data compiled from Odor Complaint forms related to the South Wake Landfill area for October 2016 through March 2017 are listed below.  The number of complaint forms received has gone down versus the prior three months.

Avg complaints per day
Highest # complaints in a day
Date highest # complaints received
# days zero complaints received
Mar '17
0.8
9 17th 22
Feb '17
0.6
3 6th & 22nd 19
Jan '17
0.9
6 19th 21
Dec '16
0.8
7 9th 17
Nov '16
3.5
25 16th 15
Oct '16
1.4
5 10th 12

Our landfill gas system was offline for a number of hours on 3/15/17 while we continued working on improvements to the system. John Roberson issued an announcement in anticipation of this project on 3/15/17 . As work on the system continues, our team is constantly monitoring odors, and when needed, announcements will be sent out to alert neighbors of potential odor events.  If you do not currently receive John's "odor alert emails" and would like to be added to our list, contact Stephanie Garehan .

Waste Industries and Wake County are in final negotiations for the purchase of a new type of odor control system to be installed by July 2017. This timing will allow us to be prepared for when the wind direction is unfavorable once again from August thru November.  

Wake County values your input. If you notice objectionable odors in your neighborhood or other areas around the South Wake Landfill, please let us know by  submitting an online odor complaint form.
Landfill Gas Collection System Improvements
New Backup Blowers Installed
Two new blowers on the right

The landfill gas collection system at South Wake Landfill was recently upgraded with the installation of two new  60 horsepower blowers. The blowers are used to pull landfill gas out of the landfill to minimize landfill gas escaping to the atmosphere, which can cause malodorous events. Landfill gas is a mixture of methane, carbon dioxide and other trace gases produced when organic materials decompose in the absence of oxygen.

The new blowers help manage odors, as stated above, serve as a contingency should the original blower need to be taken offline for maintenance and will provide for triple the landfill gas collection capacity to meet future volumes of landfil gas as the landfill develops.  The improvements cost approx. $270,000 and were paid for with the revenue generated from the sale of energy to Duke Energy Progress. 
South Wake Solid Waste Management Facilities
Renovation Project Update
South Wake Facility Redesign Schematic Site Plan

On March 6, Wake County Commissioners awarded a $7.9 million contract to Harrod and Associates Constructors of Raleigh for the renovation of the convenience center, multi-material recycling facility and household hazardous waste center at the South Wake Solid Waste Management Facilities. 

The renovation project includes the following expansion and improvement items:
  • Constructing a new seven bay convenience center
  • Constructing a new covered household hazardous waste drop off and storage facility
  • Expanding the multi-material canopy and dock area
  • Improving traffic circulation by constructing separate routes for customer and operator vehicles
  • Constructing an oyster shell collection area
  • Constructing a centrally-located operator office 
  • Constructing a field office building for staff use and community educational purposes
The facility will remain open to customers throughout construction, which is expected to begin in April, with work currently scheduled for completion in July 2018, weather permitting. Funding for this project is made possible by the $20 annual household recycling fee, landfill gas energy sales, grants and the sale of collected materials for recycling.
Tree Planting Program Update
Wake County Solid Waste Management Division has offered to sponsor a tree planting program for neighbors of the South Wake Landfill who can see the landfill from their property. It is intended that these trees would help beautify neighborhoods and, in time, divert the view of the landfill from homes.

Since the beginning of the year  Wake County has signed a contract with obs Landscape Architects to develop a plan for a tree planting program. Wake County & obs Landscape Architects also met with planners with the Town of Holly Springs to seek input and guidance on the town's ordinance as it pertains to planting trees in the right of way.  

 

Wake County and obs Landscape Architects has also met with Resource Property Mgmt, LLC the property manager for the Forest Springs subdivision, to discuss the HOA's involvement in the program. It is anticipated that planting will begin this fall.
Partial Closure of the South Wake Landfill
Phase One Closure Project Update

On March 6th, Wake County Commissioners awarded a $5.1 million contract to Shamrock Environmental Corporation of Browns Summit, NC for the partial closure of Phase One of the South Wake Landfill.

To handle landfill gases and odors, Wake County developed a plan to close the lined areas of the landfill in phases. The landfill has been divided into five phases, with some of those areas subdivided into smaller phases. Phase 1A and 1B have reached the point of capacity where the county can now pursue partially closing Phase One. The closure involves construction of a final cover liner system, as well as rerouting, optimizing and reinstalling the landfill gas-to-energy collection system. A geotextile membrane will be used to cap the waste and minimize disturbance. Stormwater collection and erosion control improvements are also included in the project.

The project is expected to begin in April of this year, with work currently scheduled for completion by April 2018, weather permitting. Funding for the project comes from the tipping fee charged to companies that bring municipal waste to the landfill and transfer station.