North Carolina, underpinned by a robust economy and diverse population, is grappling with the same issues we as a state have faced for decades when it comes to the disposal of our garbage.

Landfills are an integral piece of North Carolina’s waste management and junk disposal system, treating municipal solid waste (MSW) as well as construction and demolition (C&D) debris and industrial byproducts. As urbanization and industrialization grow rapidly, the environmental, social, and regulatory issues associated with these landfills need to be addressed by the state for sustainable waste disposal management.

Landfills in NC

North Carolina has over 40 active landfills, which are classified by the waste they accept:

• Municipal Solid Waste Landfills(MSWLF): This is a facility used for the disposal of health hazardous solid and semi-solid waste. They are dispersed commonly all over rural-industrial, or urban areas
• Construction and Demolition Landfills: These sites specifically accept waste from the construction and demolition of structures like buildings, roads, and other infrastructure
• Industrial Landfills: With a strong industrial base, including manufacturing and agriculture, North Carolina generates considerable waste that often requires specialized disposal

The state also has many obsolete landfills that predate modern environmental rules. Most of these older sites need to be monitored for, say, leachate leakage or methane emissions.

Trends in Waste Generation and Disposal

North Carolinians produce about 12 million tons of trash each year. Most goes to landfills, and roughly a quarter is recycled or composted. Although the state’s recycling rate lags behind the national average of 32 percent, officials are working to increase diversion through public education and improved recycling infrastructure.

Charlotte, Raleigh and Fayetteville, the largest cities in North Carolina, are also the largest producers of waste in the state based on population and economic activity. Rural areas produce less waste overall but must contend with different challenges, including limited access to modern waste disposal facilities and higher transportation costs.

Environmental Concerns in NC

Geography and a burgeoning population make managing landfills a vital environmental issue in North Carolina. Key concerns include:

• Protection of Groundwater: Some inhabitants of North Carolina depend on drinking-water from groundwater. The liquid that leaches out of landfills — called leachate — is a major threat to these waterways. Modern landfills are designed with liners and leachate collection systems, but older or poorly managed sites can still pose hazards
• Methane Emissions: Landfills create methane: Decomposing organic waste emits this harmful greenhouse gas. Many of the large landfills in the state have systems to capture gas and reduce this impact, but the smaller or older facilities typically do not have the technology
• Stormwater Runoff: The complex climate of North Carolina, with extensive rainfall and potentially severe hurricanes, can heighten the threat of runoff from landfills™ and seepage into neighboring ecosystems

Regulatory Oversight

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) controls landfill functions and enforces the conditions of state and federal environmental laws. Regulations include:

• Permitting and Design Standards: All operating landfills should be properly engineered with liners, leachate and gas capture systems
• Post-Closure Monitoring: Closed landfills undergo decades of post-closure monitoring to deal with leachate leakage and methane emissions

NCR stands for state-specific recycling and waste reduction goals. North Carolina has its recycling and materials management section, which was established to help local governments achieve higher recycling rates.

Despite all this, enforcement can be spotty, especially in rural areas where oversight funding and resources are scarce.

Economic and Social Impacts

Landfills are a major force in North Carolina’s economy, creating jobs and generating revenue through tipping fees. Landfill gas-to-energy projects at some facilities also provide renewable energy generation.

But landfills are often a source of controversy among nearby communities:

• Odor and Noise Pollution: Residents who live near landfills often complain about foul smells and noise from trucks
• Environmental Justice Issues: Since many landfills are placed in impoverished or minority neighborhoods, some have raised concerns about fair siting and the unequal effect on marginalized groups
• Decreased Property Value: When a landfill is in your area, the value of your property often decreases, putting residents living near a landfill at an economic disadvantage

Issues on the Landfill Capacity

As North Carolina’s population increases, its waste does as well. The state’s landfills are increasingly under pressure to accommodate ever-growing loads of waste, fueling concerns about long-term capacity. Moreover, existing landfills are often met with fierce resistance by local communities when expansion is proposed, or when new landfill sites are proposed altogether.

Solutions and Future Possibilities

North Carolina is considering creative new approaches to dealing with its landfill problems:

• Promoting Advanced Recycling Solutions: Investing in advanced recycling solutions, such as chemical recycling and conversion technologies, can help break down plastics into their molecular building blocks, thereby allowing different types of plastic to be recycled into new products
• Enhancing Organic Waste Management: Building composting facilities and supporting food waste diversion strategies can greatly lower the quantity of organic waste directed to landfills, thus curtailing methane emissions
• Technological Innovations: Investing in waste-to-energy technologies, advanced sorting systems, and anaerobic digestion can enhance waste management efficiency
• Implementing Policy Reforms: New waste diversion goals, targeting higher percentages of waste to be diverted from landfills, and stricter regulations on where landfills can be sited as well as how they are managed, can ensure both the health of surrounding populations and natural ecosystems

Landfills are still an important part of North Carolina’s solid waste management system, taking in millions of tons of waste annually, potentially creating more pollution.

But the state has urgent challenges, including environmental hazards, finite capacity in landfills, improving dumpster rental services and questions of equity and community impact. The time for North Carolina to lessen its landfill use is now, and by embracing sustainable practices, innovative technologies, and better waste management recycling and composting, the state can do just that.