Waste Management Vies for County's Vote

Lynn Schenkman

Spartanburg, S.C. -- With sights set on building a new 1,000-acre landfill in Spartanburg County, Waste Management Inc., Houston, is offering residents cash and prizes to win their vote to construct the site, according to news sources. Waste Management says the Palmetto landfill currently serving Spartanburg County takes in 1 million tons of trash annually from within a 75-mile radius, and officials say if this pace continues, the landfill will have 5 to 6 years of life remaining.

The county is examining three proposals to get them out of this garbage glut: The county can pay Allied Waste Industries, Scottsdale, Ariz., $3 million per year to haul the garbage to Anderson County; the county could pay Republic Services Inc., Massillon, Ohio, $3 million to haul the garbage to Union County; or Waste Management could pay the county $4 million during the construction of their new landfill, then $2.75 million per year in impact fees. Waste Management also has agreed to haul the county’s trash to its new landfill for free.