Travis County, we have a problem…
Travis County Residents Should Oppose Expansion Plans of Both
Problem Landfills
Despite years of community opposition and
activism by neighboring residents, both the BFI and Waste Managment landfills
(near 290 & 183) are seeking to expand. Concerned residents and
elected officials should oppose these expansions and call for better
solutions for our waste.
Click here to send email, letters or make calls to the key County
Commissioners to urge them to oppose BFI plans to pile seven more
stories of trash in a problem landfill.
Click here to learn more
about the NE Travis landfills and help fight their
expansions.
Legal Battle Begins Over Waste Managment
Expansion
Waste Management Inc. has requested to expand their
landfill laterally by over 70 acres. Landfill neighbors and environmental
activists are entering into a legal battle to oppose the state
environmental agency’s approval of the permit application.
This landfill
received the highest fine ever against a landfill by the state
environmental agency, and both the City of Austin and Travis County are
officially opposing this expansion. It is sometimes known as Austin’s Love
Canal because approximately one million gallons of industrial hazardous waste
was dumped in unlined pits and has never been cleaned up.
Already, Travis
County has an over-supply of landfill space, which is resulting in the County
handling garbage from over 30 counties. The City of Austin’s household trash
doesn’t go to the Waste Management or
BFI landfills.
Neighbors, Concerned Residents Send
Strong Message at BFI Public Hearing
BFI is seeking to
expand 75 feet vertically, which would make their landfill taller than Mt.
Bonnell! Dozens of Travis County residents came to a public hearing in
October of 2007 to voice their opposition to the expansion. TCE
activists delivered an oversized letter to the County
Commissioners signed by over 70 community leaders, including Austin
City Council members Cheyl Cole and Mike Martinez and Travis County
Sheriff Greg Hamilton.
The BFI and Waste
Management expansions are now moving through a contested case hearing,
which is a legal proceeding similar to a civil trail. To read more about
this process, click
here.
Click here for the
Austin-American Statesman story
Click here for the
KXAN story
Click here for the
News 8 Austin story
Click here to
see TCE responses to Judge Biscoe's defense of the contract.
May
2007 Meeting on BFI Expansion Attended by Hundreds of
Residents
In May 2007, hundreds of area residents turned
out to the public meeting to oppose the expansion of BFI's problem landfill in
NE Travis County. Travis County Commissioner Ron Davis drew cheers for his
opposition to the expansion. Speaker after speaker from the nearby
neighborhoods and Austinites from other parts of the city eloquently laid out
the case that expanding this landfill is not compatible with the existing and
planned land uses for the area. There was a steady drumbeat of stories of
BFI failing to remedy on-going noxious gas, run-off, noise and other
problems.
One of the more poignant moments were the comments by Jesus
Martinez, the President of the Student Council of Bluebonnet Trail Elementary
School and his brother Emilio and sister Arianna. They talked about the
awful odors that cause gagging and nausea. They also
told of buzzard droppings on their track and playground equipment. View the KVUE News story
here.
Click here to
read TCE's comments.
City of Austin Pledges to Fight Problem Landfill
Expansions
On May 17, 2007, the Austin City
Council unanimously passed a resolution to
oppose the expansions of the BFI and Waste Management problem landfills in
NE Travis County. Hundreds of letters were sent by TCE supporters to urge
the City Council to pass this resolution. A letter in
support of the resolution was delivered to Councilmembers signed by leading
environmental and community leaders.
Background
We must stop these landfills from expanding is NOW, while they still have time remaining in their permit to relocate.
Travis County has plenty of landfill space; there is no need to expand landfills in the midst of communities and workplaces of Northeast Travis County. Together, the Waste Management and BFI landfills have received over 20 violations and areas of concern have been issued against them by the state environmental agency since 2002.
These landfills have received 800 citizen pollution complaints because of odor and nuisance problems since 2001, more than any other polluter. They continue to emit gases that cause noxious odors and affect the public’s health. These landfills drain into Decker Lake, a recreational lake to the east, and into a large tributary of Walnut Creek to the west.
The expansion would continue to make Travis County the dumping ground for the region – the NE landfills take garbage from at least 30 counties. Three of the four landfills in the immediate 10-county area are in Travis County. (Williamson County has the fourth.)
This landfills threaten economic development plans to locate more
neighborhoods and businesses in the Eastern part of Travis County, away from the
highly sensitive Barton Springs Recharge Zone. The landfill depresses property
values and the county’s tax base.
Frequently Asked
Questions
Why don’t BFI and Waste Management do more recycling?
While trash companies provide some recycling services away from these
landfills, one report estimated the Waste Management’s profit margin on
landfills was ten times that of recycling.
Are we running out of landfill space?
No! In fact, we have
an over-supply of landfill space, which is resulting in Travis County handling
the garbage for over 30 counties! The City of Austin’s household trash
doesn’t go to either of these landfills.
Have BFI and Waste Management been good operators?
No! In fact, over a thousand complaints have been filed against these
two Northeast Travis County landfills. BFI was fined $28,000 and Waste
Management $239,000, the highest fines ever levied by the state regulating
agency against a landfill. They have very small buffers that are totally
inadequate for this massive operation of two landfills side by side.
Are they in a good location?
No! They are in the middle of
Austin’s plan to bring the next quarter million people. Massive high-density
developments are exploding in the area with the expansion of 290 and the opening
of SH130. They are only 8 miles from the State Capitol.
Is it possible for there to be a good landfill?
Yes! Texas
Disposal Systems, a locally run company in Travis County, has had a very good
operating history. It composts more organic waste than the entire City of
Austin household waste stream, uses an exotic game ranch as a buffer and has a
300 seat community center that holds over 100 events a year!
Campaign Press
Helps Challenges Central Texans to Join Race to Zero Waste or Darn Close (TCE)
Neighbors of Landfill Oppose Expansion at Public Hearing (Austin American-Statesman)
County, landfill clash over hazardous waste (Austin American Statesman)
Take Action
Contact Travis County Elected Officials to Oppose Problem Landfill ExpansionsTravis County Residents: Contact County officials to urge them to oppose BFI's plan for an expansion of 7 more stories of trash on top of their problem landfill in NE Travis County.
Links
statewide landfill rules
NE Travis County landfill
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