Regional Landfill
Around 2010, Randolph County Government began considering the
construction of a new regional Subtitle D Landfill as a new
revenue source for the County. The permitting process, which is
administered by NC Dept. of Environment Quality (NCDEQ), is
quite strict, lengthy and extensive process. The site for the
proposed landfill is located on approximately 667 acres adjacent
the County’s Solid Waste Facility with an entrance on Old Cedar
Falls Road (see maps below).
In April 2013, the County received a Special Use Permit (SUP)
from the Randolph County Planning Board. The SUP is a zoning
tool which allows a specific land use based on a detailed
application and subsequent conditions (see below). The following
month, the Randolph County Board of Commissioners approved a
resolution authorizing the County to submit a permit application
for the proposed landfill to NCDEQ After an extensive Request
for Proposals (RFP) process, in December 2013, the County
selected Waste Management of the Carolinas, Inc. as a partner
for the permitting, construction and operation of the proposed
Landfill and associated Franchise Agreement.
After and extensive site suitability study in January of
2015, the County received notice from DEQ that the proposed site
was suitable. The county in turn notified Waste management
that they were authorized to begin preparing their permit
application.
In January of 2016, Waste Management received a Permit to Construct from
DEQ. Construction of the landfill took approximately 1 year to
complete and on December 29, 2016 DEQ issued a Permit to Operate for the
first cell.
The Great Oak Landfill opened on January 9, 2017. At that time the
existing Transfer Station at the Solid Waste Facility was closed and
disposal for citizens became free for all citizens at the Counties
Convenience Sites.