Denton Municipal Landfill Plans to Expand

To adequately plan and provide for the future of Denton, the City is moving forward with a process to amend the current landfill permit with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to allow for expansion of the Denton Municipal Landfill. The proposed expansion increases the permitted space by 104.64 acres and extends the life of the landfill by approximately 60 years.

The current landfill is estimated to have approximately 17 years of landfill life available. While the City works diligently to maximize diversion and effectively use landfill space, current waste tonnage and future growth projections indicate that the space permitted for disposal may be depleted as early as 2036.“Our main priority for the landfill is still to maximize our conservation efforts and divert as much waste as we can. This permit, however, allows us to plan for the future and account for the long-term needs of our growing population,” said Director of Solid Waste and Recycling Brian Boerner.

The land marked for the expansion is owned by the City, and the boundaries were selected based on property lines, floodplain considerations, an Atmos gas line to the north of the site, and other geographic restrictions. While the expansion permit would allow an increase in landfill height and size, the Denton City Council has the authority to limit the height and footprint of the landfill through the Specific Use Permit (SUP) process to best meet the priorities and needs of the community. This maintains local control of landfill decisions for our community while providing maximum flexibility through an approved TCEQ permit.

Expanding a landfill requires a lengthy permit modification process through the TCEQ. The City began the process in January 2017 and, as of Nov. 26, 2019, the expansion permit application (Permit #1590-B) was deemed technically complete. TCEQ has issued a notice requesting public comment within a 30-day period, which will take place from Dec. 18, 2019 through Jan. 17, 2020. The permit application is available for viewing and copying at 1527 S. Mayhill Road. Upon completion of the comment period, TCEQ will consider the comments and requests and make a decision on the permit application, which is expected by March 2020.