MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — Murfreesboro city council voted unanimously on Thursday to approve the next steps for building a waste transfer station that would also turn trash into renewable energy.
The $65 million project is part of the commitment with WastAway. A Tennessee-based company specializing in converting waste into different forms of biofuel.
City officials approved an agreement with the company earlier this year, with $2.5 million allocated for designing a transfer station and renewable energy facility.
Murfreesboro would cover $17.5 million for the transfer station, meanwhile, the remaining $50 million for the renewable energy facility would come from private investors and or revenue bonds.
These are bonds supported by the revenue of selling the newly developed fuel source.
City officials sent a statement saying, “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.”
The 22-acre facility, located South of Butler Drive, would take in about 400 tons of solid waste per day and convert as much as 70 percent of that into a biofuel mass used for different types of manufacturing. Think of this as replacing the need for coal or wood.
Mayor Shane McFarland says while the project is more expensive than continuing to have trash collected by Middle Point for free, he 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.
McFarland says while he understands that at least 70 percent of the trash collected at Middle Point comes from other counties, it was important for the city to cut ties with the landfill as much as possible.
As Middle Point Landfill reaches max capacity in the coming years, McFarland says we must prepare for life beyond Mt. Trashmore.
“What we’re trying to do is to set an example for hopefully the Midstate to say, we think this process will work and this will be a viable alternative for all of the municipalities in the Midstate,” McFarland said.
Murfreesboro plans to send the remaining 10% of the trash that can't be converted into renewable energy to a different landfill yet to be determined.
When asked if this means Murfreesboro’s trash becomes someone else’s problem, McFarland says landfills have to be a component of the waste management process.
He says there’s room for landfills to work together with these types of projects but doesn’t believe Middle Point is the answer.
“I wouldn’t want to push off what we’re dealing with in Murfreesboro to anyone, but I think there are areas where it’s less densely populated where you don’t have those issues,” McFarland said.
Middle Point Landfill has already announced plans to build a renewable energy plant of its own by next year.
Meanwhile, the city of Murfreesboro is continuing its legal battle with Middle Point where they’ve asked the courts to halt operations until the landfill can better control the odor and anything leaking into the East Fork Stones River.
Middle Point Landfill General Manager Mike Classen dismissed concerns over anything leaking into nearby waterways by saying the data doesn’t support these claims.
“What we’ve said from the beginning is if there’s a legitimate problem, why was the phone never picked up to say we think something is going on here? We’d like to talk about it. We’d like to work together to come to a solution. That never happened,” Classen said.
Murfreesboro attorneys say they have their own data showing trace signs of artificial chemicals in nearby Bubba Spring and have amended their lawsuit to include these findings.
McFarland says while they’ve had to limit communication because of the ongoing lawsuit, the city has been in contact with the landfill for years.
“I respect Mr. Classen and the work that he’s trying to do, but let’s be clear. Mr. Classen is new to that facility. That facility has gone through numerous general managers over the last 15-20 years,” McFarland said.
McFarland says he watched the NewsChannel5 Investigates story where we toured Middle Point Landfill and felt as though it gave the impression there was nothing wrong at Middle Point.
“It’s great to talk to Mr. Classen on the things they’re doing out at that landfill, but when I watched the story, it’s as if there were no problems out there. I think if you talked to the resident that lives in the northeast side of Murfreesboro, they would give you a different perspective than what Mr. Classen is portraying,” McFarland said.
