Putnam County will purchase some 37-acres of land near the county landfill to establish more border and ensure the facility can continue operating for decades.
Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter said the county actively monitors for available land surrounding the landfill to facilitate future expansion without the need to relocate the facility. Porter said the newly acquired property is located in a rural, wooded area near the DeKalb County line.
“This property became available at a really good price and so we purchased it like we have several other pieces of property over the last few years to make sure that we’ve got a good border around our landfill and be able to keep it there and use it for construction waste in the near future,” Porter said.
Porter said the acquisition is a direct response to the growth of Putnam County, which has led to an increase in building projects and subsequent waste. Porter said the landfill is used exclusively for construction waste such as wood and sheetrock rather than residential garbage.
Porter said the county utilizes a contractor to operate the site and employs engineers to monitor the location and design new cells as existing ones reach capacity.
“We think with the land that we have there, we’re probably good at that location for the next 30 to 40 years,” Porter said. “So as it stands right now, ready to open a new cell here in the next year or two, and it just depends on how much construction is going on in the county.”
Porter said the 37-acre parcel is specifically intended to serve as a buffer between the facility and neighboring landowners.
“We try to keep a border around the landfill so it doesn’t affect any of the other landowners or people that live in that area,” Porter said. “So this just gives us a border all the way to the county line there behind the landfill, just as I said, just as a border to protect everyone that’s around there.”
Porter said the negotiations for the property began in January and included a land survey before the proposal was presented to the Putnam County Commission. Porter said the county has purchased several tracts of land over the last few years to secure the site’s perimeter as operations expand.