Tennessee City Approves $65 Million Plan for New Waste Transfer Project

In a recent vote, the Murfreesboro city council, in Tennessee, came to a unanimous decision to approve the next steps in the process for building a waste transfer station that will also turn trash into renewable energy.

This project, costing $65 million, is part of the commitment with WasteAway, the Tennessee-based company that specializes in covering waste is forms of biofuel.

Earlier this year, city officials came to an agreement with WasteAway and allocated $2.5 million for the design of the transfer station and renewable energy facility.

As part of the agreement, Murfreeboro is covering $17.5 million for the facility, while the remaining $50 million would come from private investors and revenue bonds, bonds supported by the revenue of selling the newly developed fuel source.

“The City also anticipates that a significant portion of the project—up to 25.5%--would be paid through tax credits or rebates available through the Inflation Reduction Act. These credits could reduce the total cost of the project by over $16.5 million, from $65 million to $48.4 million. Regardless of funding source, the City’s top priority is to preserve reliable trash pickup at a reasonable price without being overly dependent on unreliable landfills,” said City officials.

Mayor Shane McFarland said that while the project is more expensive than continue to have trash collected handled by Middle Point, for free, McFarland believes it’s time the city finds a more sustainable solution.

“We’re really preparing for the next steps in waste independence here in Murfreesboro,” McFarland said.

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