Middle Point Landfill’s Community Open Houses Reveal Common Concerns Over Waste Disposal

Middle Point Landfill has recently concluded a series of community open houses across Rutherford County to provide information and to seek residents’ feedback and opinions about waste disposal. Sessions were held throughout the fall at six locations across the county. From these informational sessions, three main themes emerged:

• Need for Local Leadership. Rutherford County needs strong leadership to solve our biggest solid waste management challenges. Area leaders should identify an approach that not only addresses the immediate issues, but also actively improves the community by reliably serving residents.
• Sustainable Approach to Solid Waste. Neighbors prefer a sustainable, forward-thinking approach to waste management challenges. Residents want the ability to diversify the way they manage their own household trash, and many of them mentioned recycling and composting programs specifically. With any proposed solution, the community wants local leadership to provide increased access to household recycling services.
• Concern for Costly Replacement of Landfill. Residents were surprised to learn about the financial benefits Middle Point Landfill provides to Rutherford County and were interested in learning more about the landfill’s current host benefit agreement language with county government. Residents value financial responsibility when it comes to managing their household waste, and overwhelmingly believe that any future approach should not place new financial burdens on Rutherford County families.

“Middle Point is a valuable regional asset, and county residents receive a substantial financial benefit from the fact that it is in their backyard,” said Mike Classen, general manager of Middle Point. “Without Middle Point, disposal gets expensive fast, and that expense will inevitably fall on the taxpayers if we shut down. It’s encouraging to hear that this message is resonating with residents, and they are being empowered to ask tough questions of their elected officials. We are committed to working with Rutherford County officials to find a sustainable path forward that doesn’t rely on residents to fund it in the form of a new tax.”