Terrace Heights Landfill Is Closing

You might have heard somewhere that Terrace Heights Landfill is planning on closing, and you might be wondering where you will dispose of waste after this occurs!

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Closure By 2030

Yakima County is actively prepping to close the Terrace Heights Landfill site by 2030. The landfill is reaching near-capacity limits, and costs for environmental regulations are skyrocketing. These include mandatory gas collection systems to capture dangerous gases from moving into surrounding air or soil, and composite liners. Composite liners are barriers usually made of plastic to protect the ground from trash liquid. When rain falls on garbage, it dissolves its chemicals, creating a toxic liquid that could harm the surrounding area. Yakima County estimates that these maintenance costs could reach around $37 million by 2030!

Where Will I Bring My Waste?

Luckily, you will still take your trash to the Terrace Heights Landfill site, as it will be used as a transport facility rather than a landfill. The waste will be transported to Cheyenne Landfill in Zillah, a larger site that still has 100 years' worth of capacity.

Bulldozer compacting trash at a large landfill site

In the Meantime

In the meantime, fees may increase dramatically. Tipping fees are being forecast to climb 45% from $46 per ton to $67 per ton. They are also potentially putting an environmental compliance surcharge fee on the table. This transition is going to be very burdensome and costly for Yakima.

The Board of Yakima County Commissioners is holding a public hearing on September 1 at 10:00 AM at the Yakima County Courthouse. At the hearing, they will vote on garbage tipping fees, septage fees, environmental surcharges, and closure assurance fees.

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Go make your voice heard if you have thoughts on the matter!