North Wake Landfill
The North Wake Landfill has reached CAPACITY and is CLOSED PERMANENTLY.
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The North Wake Landfill site was established as a municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill more than 20 years ago to serve Wake County’s solid waste disposal needs. The original MSW landfill cell was an unlined facility that was closed in 1998 when new regulations required that MSW landfills be constructed with a liner. A new, lined MSW landfill cell was constructed adjacent to the old landfill and is currently in operation. This landfill area reached capacity in 2008 and is now closed.
Other significant functions at the site are a closed construction and demolition debris landfill; landfill gas collection systems; a multi-material recycling facility that collects items such as tires, motor oil and white goods; a convenience drop-off center for citizens to dispose of solid waste; a household hazardous waste collection center; various County buildings not associated with the solid waste function; and a large borrow area dedicated to providing soil for daily cover at the active landfill. Intertwined among these functions are areas of open space.
At the time the site was first used for solid waste disposal, the areas was sparsely populated and posed few, if any, problems to neighbors. As the County's population grew and spread, both residential and commercial development began to occur around the landfill site. The natural result of a growing population is a growing waste stream. The increasing residential and commercial development and increasing size of the landfill set the stage for a clash of seemingly incompatible land uses; however, as the landfill closes and disposal operations cease, it has become well recognized in the community that a good opportunity exists to turn the landfill area into a community asset beneficial to a wide range of citizens. The landfill has always been a community asset, albeit sometimes unrecognized as such.
North Wake Landfill Post Closure
Closed landfills have been converted to alternate uses for many years. The 1990s represented a decade of change for design and construction of landfills. Prior to that time landfills were often large land areas where waste was generally buried in manmade trenches. The final contours were usually fairly flat. Many times these closed landfills became golf courses, sports fields or other similar uses. Landfills constructed after the mid-1990s are generally conical shaped with small flat areas on the top. A cross section resembles a trapezoidal shape. In addition to the changes in design and construction, numerous regulations have been put into place that govern the maintenance of the landfill area. When determining the feasibility and compatibility of post-closure uses, new designs and regulations must be taken into consideration.
In March 2004 the North Wake Landfill Citizens Committee (NWLFCC) was formed as part of the post-closure planning process to solicit opinions of the citizens living in the area as to how the site would ultimately be used after it ceases to function as an active municipal solid waste landfill. The NWLFCC met monthly for more than a year to develop and define the basis of the criteria that would be used to develop the post-closure use Master Plan.
North Wake Landfill Post Closure Use Master Plan
The North Wake Landfill Post Closure Land Use Master Plan defines a vision for the potential public use of this 260-acre property following the closure of the North Wake Landfill. The Master Plan is the result of an involved community planning and design process conducted over a 18-month time frame that included monthly community meetings attended by citizens from neighborhoods in the Durant Road/North Wake Landfill area.
In addition to the input received from community members, the project benefited from the involvement of Wake County, City of Raleigh, Wake County Public School System, the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the North Wake Landfill Citizens Committee.
At each community meeting, attendees were solicited for input through the use of brainstorming sessions on conceptual diagrams. Three concept plans were developed and presented at a community meeting, all of which were focused on the development area portion of the site. The consensus of the meeting was for the preference of a concept that includes the siting of an elementary school along with athletic fields and community park facilities within the cover soil excavation area immediately adjacent to the landfill (the borrow area). The comprehensive Master Plan reflects input received throughout the process and includes revisions made following preparation of the draft Master Plan to reserve property for the continuation, expansion and improvement of Wake County’s Solid Waste Management facilities and Wake County Field Services. The Master Plan also addressed regulatory constraints within the 300-foot buffer area beyond the limits of waste and safety zone around the existing communications tower. The plan enjoys the support of the surrounding community as well as other groups and individuals that were involved in the planning and design process.
Once the landfill is closed, implementation of the Post Closure Master Plan can begin, subject to adequate funding. Currently, the NWLFCC is in the process of considering various designs for the “borrow area,” which will include a number of components, including a new school and active recreative facilities. Implementation of other components of the master plan will proceed as funding becomes available.