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Suffolk’s regional landfill will be at capacity within nine years unless additional measures are taken, such as the permitting of additional “cells” and alternative waste disposal options to improve recycling efforts.

Dennis Bagley, executive director of the Southeastern Public Service Authority (SPSA) landfill, spoke to the Suffolk City Council on March 5 about several efforts meant to increase the life of the property for decades to come. With less than a decade to go before capacity is reached, Bagley explained why efforts are already being made to increase storage years in advance. 

“In our business, if you have five years before you need capacity, you’re in an emergency situation,” Bagley said.

The SPSA is working to get two additional “cells,” or parcels of land at the landfill, permitted, which would provide an additional 16 million cubic yards and provide disposal capacity until 2060. Those two parcels – officially named cells eight and nine – will be the final parcels permitted on the landfill. The SPSA has agreed not to pursue permits for parcels 10, 11 and 12 as they are on wetlands. 

That means that even if cells eight and nine are approved, the clock is ticking on the life of the landfill.  

“So what I’m telling you is that at 506,000 tons (per year), in the year 2060, we will be out of disposal capacity and have to go outside the region in order to dispose of our waste,” Bagley said.

With the clock ticking, the SPSA is working to expand capacity beyond 2060 through an agreement with Commonwealth Sortation that would use artificial intelligence to remove recyclables from mixed waste. The Denver, Colorado, company specializes in alternative waste disposal methods through mixed waste sortation, which eliminates the need for curbside recycling entirely. The company has guaranteed it can reduce the waste going into the landfill by 50%. 

Bagley said the project, if approved, would result in a capital investment of more than $100 million.

“This would increase the life of the landfill into the end of the century,” Bagley said.

A final contract would require a 20-year commitment by the SPSA. The current use and support agreement between SPSA and member localities like Suffolk is set to expire on June 30, 2027, and members must notify SPSA 18 months in advance if they don’t intend to renew. 

If nothing happens, the agreements automatically renew for an additional 10 years, but the SPSA is asking each member community to increase that to 20 years to satisfy the requirements of Commonwealth Sortation. 

Bagley said a preliminary cost-benefit analysis for Suffolk shows that the recycling program would save $402,878 annually. 

As the process continues, SPSA will provide each member community with an amended use and support agreement for review and comment. Once the member communities approve, the SPSA Board will review the proposal and need a supermajority (75%) vote of approval.