The Orange County landfill was originally scheduled to close in 1982. Thirty-one years have since passed, and the project was only recently shut down on July 1. Since the closure, all waste that would have gone to the landfill has been diverted to a transfer station in Durham until a long-term garbage disposal solution is put into effect.
It is essential that a long-term solution minimizing waste and maximizing efficiency be implemented as soon as possible. The most productive solution should take advantage of the proximity of the Durham waste management facilities and merge operations between Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Durham.
A centrally located waste facility would reduce the distance trash needs to be hauled, and collaboration between these three municipalities could bring about an innovative solution when their funding is combined to develop one collective plan.
A collaborative waste-management strategy placing a heavy emphasis on waste reduction could be achieved with the development of composting practices, extensive recycling programs and the division of waste services across these three towns.
The plan to have trash diverted to the Durham transfer station is only meant to last three to five years, and solutions beyond this period are still being researched.
The Durham transfer station, which holds solid waste until it is further disposed of through treatment facilities or transportation to landfill facilities, is not expected to close anytime soon, and could play a vital role in ensuring that the future of waste in this community is disposed of in a safe, efficient and environmentally friendly manner.
