Broward County Faces Waste Crisis as Monarch Hill Landfill Nears Capacity

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By David Volz

The Monarch Hill landfill is almost full and may be unable to accept more post-recycled construction and demolition debris. If no additional space is available, this waste must be transported out of Broward County.

Waste Management (WM) requests a Land Use Plan amendment for a 24-acre area at 2600 Wiles Road in unincorporated Broward County. The site used to house a waste-to-energy plant, specifically the Wheelabrator North building but is currently undergoing demolition. This location is part of the 500-acre Monarch Hill Renewal Energy Park.

The Broward County Commission will hear the land use plan amendment on its May 21, 2024, agenda.

The Monarch Hill landfill has about six years of capacity remaining, and a major hurricane could use up to a year’s worth of capacity in one storm, according to Dawn McCormick, director of communications for WM.

If the landfill is not approved to use its total horizontal and vertical capacity, it must begin diverting post-recycled construction and demolition debris and bulk waste to the Okeechobee landfill.

According to McCormick, this would mean additional transportation costs passed on to county, municipal, and commercial customers.

Moving this waste would pose a significant burden on the environment. According to McCormick, WM estimates it would require about 7,500 tractor truckloads a month or 90,000 loads annually, traveling 196-mile round trips to dispose of material, using 3.5 million gallons of diesel fuel, and generating 39,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

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Author Profile

David Volz

David Volz has worked as a writer in South Florida for 35 years. He has written for the Sun-Sentinel, Hollywood Gazette, School Transportation News, South Dade News Leaders, Observer among others. He has an MA in Communications from Florida Atlantic University and a BA in Communications from Valparaiso University. Volz teaches Communications at Miami Dade College and Palm Beach State College. He lives in Coral Springs and enjoys running and participating in 5Ks and half-marathons.

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