Developer Confirms Landfill Construction Plans Despite Strong Opposition from the Community

Construction of a 270-acre landfill is planned for a nearly 500-acre site in south Kansas City, Missouri. Jennifer Monheiser of KC Recycling and Waste Solutions shared with a Missouri House Committee earlier this week that an offer to purchase the property, made by a company she owns, has been accepted, and the purchase may already be underway.

No formal application has been submitted for the construction of a landfill in the area, although Monheiser’s team has begun preliminary drilling tests at the site. A standard landfill application would take about five years to complete, according to T.J. Graven of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

The Kansas City area currently has two landfills scheduled to close within the next 30 years. There is also a landfill in Sedalia, Missouri, about 90 miles from Kansas City. 

Monheiser, who is also the owner of a waste transfer station in the area, shared in her testimony that it’s not cost-effective to ship waste from south Kansas City to one of these three landfills. She remarked, “The notion that there is no need for a landfill in our region is just not true.”

The landfill proposal continues to face strong opposition from the community. Some are concerned that the landfill would be located near schools, residences, and recreational waterways. At the hearing, mayors and county commissioners commented that the developer did not make any efforts to include them in the decision-making process of selecting the property and purchasing the land. 

“People testifying against the landfill cried foul to Monheiser’s lack of communication, saying 17 lobbyists have started conversations in Jefferson City to garner support for the landfill instead of speaking with thousands of residents it could affect,” writes Matt Flener for KMBC News.

Monheiser testified before the House Committee that her engineering team had conducted studies on multiple potential sites in the region before selecting the property.