In 2021 the GHG Facility report on the EPA.gov website estimates that the landfill capacity of Laubscher Meadows landfill has dropped and pushed the closure date up to 2055. The 2016 estimate in the 2016 report was that the landfill had enough capacity to stay open until 2069. This estimated was the best estimate of landfill capacity our community has ever heard. But it was short lived. Estimations are based on actual truck scale data. The volume of trash measured at the scale in 2016 was 198445.57 metric tons. The volume of trash measured in 2021 ballooned up to 249761.57 metric tons or an increase of 21% in volume in just 5 years. 2021 was a record year for Laubscher Meadows. This record changed the overall estimates and the new closure date is now estimated to be 2055 according to the report.
If you don’t know, the Laubscher Meadows landfill is the primary landfill for the Evansville/Vanderburgh County area. Located at 2020 Laubscher Road, Evansville, Indiana 47720 right off of St. Joe. It opened in 1980 and replaced Motoux landfill (Now Motoux park) near St. Joseph and Mill Road.
This Curmudgeon blames the fact that we no longer recycle most plastics and zero glass as the reason why we are facing a shorter landfill life expectancy.
What are our plans for future landfill space? Will we do what Evansville does best? Nothing? Wait until the last minute when some federal government agency sues us (again) for not taking the initiative to do something about it now? How long does it take to find and procure new landfill space? This Curmudgeon believes we should start shopping now. NIMBY’s be damned!
(UNFINISHED ARTICLE) More to come.