Plans to sell a local landfill by Cowlitz County, Washington, officials have been delayed after an advisory committee recommended that the county should keep control of the space, a report by The Daily News says. Cowlitz County Commissioners have also considered the option of leasing the landfill to a private waste management firm.
The discussion to lease or sell Headquarters Landfill began when an undisclosed company made an unsolicited offer in early 2017 to purchase the landfill. The report says the landfill is able to handle Cowlitz County waste for 100 years.
The advisory committee, made up of representatives from local cities and businesses as well as residents who are customers of the landfill, recommended that the county postpone soliciting proposals from private waste companies until the committee has part in discussions.
Steve Taylor, the chair of the committee, said in the report that the committee should be involved in discussions and was concerned that the county was backing out of previous assurances that the landfill was going to stay in county control for the long term. Leasing the landfill, County Commissioner Dennis Webber said in the report, is still an option since the county retains some form of control.
The county drafted a request for proposals on July 20, the report says. Weber said in the report that there are no references to a sale in the request and the county wants to hear offers from companies.
The landfill generates revenue for the county, and tipping fees at the landfill are among the lowest in the state, the report says. A new state mandate to control greenhouse gas emissions at the landfill will cost the county $5 million annually.