The McCommas Bluff Landfill is one of the few city owned waste facilities in the nation, and is largest open air landfill in Texas. Waste facilities in the state are highly regulated businesses, and in Texas they are under the guidelines of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
One of the unique features of the McCommas facility is that it generates onsite renewable energy by using an “enhanced leachate recirculation” (ELR) method, meaning that there is a controlled introduction of liquids circulated into the landfill that enhance the production of methane gas. The gas is captured by a series of pumps and pipes and sold directly to a local utility company for energy needs. Besides generating renewable energy, another benefit of the ELR process is that it increased landfill airspace resulting in greater carrying capacity and lifespan of the landfill.
Timeline of Dallas Landfills
In the 1960’s Dallas city landfills were a network of smaller privately landfills that the city usually with short term contacts.
In 1976 the city realized that it needed a long-term approach to the areas growing landfill needs and chose a large area south of downtown Dallas located in a floodplain as the future site of what became knows as the McCommas Bluff Landfill.
In 1983, levee construction was completed, roadways, weigh stations, drainage features, and the first waste cell (of 23) was excavated in preparation for accepting waste at the new city owned facility.
The primary purpose of the McCommas Landfill is to serve the waste needs of Dallas residents. The landfill currently accepts about 600,000 tons of waste annually and projects service capacity of about 120 years.
The secondary purpose of the Dallas landfill is to manage commercial waste needs and balance the capacity with the residential needs. Commercial haulers drop off approximately 1.1 million tons of waste each year at the McCommas landfill for a fee.
Reuse, Recycle and Recovery
Initiatives to reuse and recycle waster and natural resources, and recover methane gas is an important part of the business practice and philosophy at McCommas Bluff, and a few of the reasons why this landfill serves as a model for other municipalities and privately owned landfills. Some of the annual statistics include...
25,000 tons of concrete diverted, crushed and reused
15,000 tons of brush diverted, crushed and reused
500 tons of old tires diverted to vendors
100 tons of glass, plastic and metal diverted to the processor
5 million cubic feet of landfill gas is captured and sold to the local utility year generating 1.2 M/yr in royalties on revenues.
While a visit to the McCommas Bluff Landfill may not seem particularly exciting, one myth is debunked, the landfill is not a “dump,” it is a highly sophisticated engineered facility with long-range planning and careful consideration for site selection and zoning. The facility must adhere to strict local, state and federal rules and regulations regarding protocol requirements for the treatment of waste including environmental monitoring, minimizing storm water pollution and the control of greenhouse gas emissions. There must be an awareness and active consideration for resource management, the surrounding ecosystems and soil conservation.
City of Dallas - http://www.dallascityhall.com/sanitation/mccommas_bluff.html
Talking Trash with Mary Suhm, Because You Have Not Heard the Last of Flow Control:http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2011/07/flow_control_1.php
Why Dallas Wants All Your Garbage: http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2011/05/the_green_path_from_trash_to_t.php
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