Dive summary:
- The impending closure of the Orange County Landfill in Chapel Hill, North Carolina translates to additional costs and unsolved problems for residents who have been struggling for years to close down the landfill.
- With no landfill, a transfer station will have to be built at the cost of an additional $700,000 annually and a new landfill will have to be designated.
- The landfill was built in a historically low-income neighborhood in 1972 with promises of only being open 10 years.
From the article:
Chapel Hill already spends $3.5 million annually on collecting and disposing garbage.
The extra $700,000 cost would go toward buying new, better trucks and the cost of gas, as the Durham Waste Industries transfer station is further away than the Rogers Road landfill for most of the town.
Chapel Hill Town Council member Jim Ward said the extra cost would likely be shouldered by taxpayers.
“We don’t know yet if the extra money is available in the existing budget or if it will require a tax increase,” Ward said. “We’re currently in the process of doing research to sort out those issues.” ...
