While there isn’t a need to expand Collier County’s landfill yet, the county is planning for it.
At a meeting May 12, county commissioners voted unanimously in favor of an expansion to the east, which will require the purchase of more land.
Commissioners supported the recommendations of outside consultants and county staff, who determined that an eastward expansion would make the most sense technically and financially.
The landfill, located near Interstate 75, off White Lake Boulevard − east of Collier Boulevard − spans about 311 acres (with 184 acres used for disposal).
Under the approved plan, the eastward expansion would happen in three phases, eventually adding another 183 acres to the landfill’s footprint, with the potential to extend the landfill’s operational life by nearly 80 years.
It will be a big investment. Land acquisition costs alone are expected to be $11.28 million.
All three phases of the expansion would be permitted at once to minimize the time and cost involved in the regulatory process.
In a presentation to county commissioners, Kari Hodgson, director of the county’s Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Division, explained the existing landfill has an estimated 35 years of remaining capacity, but there are long lead times for expansion projects, requiring not just land purchases, but land use changes and permitting by multiple agencies.
The landfill has been around for about 50 years, having opened in 1976. Waste Management operates it for the county.
Landfill still has room for growth
In a little under 15 years, the landfill is expected to begin its already approved vertical expansion from 100 feet to 200 feet, Hodgson said.
“Disposal capacity in our existing landfill continues to be exhausted a little more each year. As our county continues to grow, the demand increases and the landfill options, not just in Collier County, but all over Florida, continue to diminish, resulting in increased vulnerability to escalating costs for disposal demand,” she said.
The county’s waste management division operates as an enterprise fund, with the landfill generating about $30 million in revenue from commercial tipping fees a year, which helps cover the cost of an integrated solid waste management system, and contributes to the system’s financial stability and sustainability, Hodgson said.
The county hired Stearns, Conrad, Schmidt (SCS) Consulting Engineers Inc. to explore options for optimizing the landfill, including expansions to the east or south, and what’s described as “option zero,” in which waste would be hauled to another county once the local landfill reaches capacity.
Hodgson emphasized that not having a landfill isn’t really an option, even with the best waste minimization efforts and technology. If all the landfilled waste had been transferred out of the county last year, she said it would have cost the rate payers for those services an additional $16 million.
Without the expansion of the landfill, she said, user rates would have to be increased substantially, with the county exposed to outsourcing market volatility, including changes in gas prices, and to higher tipping fees and transportation costs to deliver and bury waste elsewhere.
“The county would need an additional 50 transfer trailers per day to haul the current volume of waste that’s generated to an out-of-county facility, which would place additional burden on our roads and could adversely impact quality of life for our residents, visitors and businesses,” Hodgson said. “The bottom line here is that there’s always a need for a disposal facility.”
Last year, only 272,000 tons of waste were actually landfilled, out of the nearly half a million tons that were managed and processed, in the county, with more than 105,000 customers serviced, she said.
“The county diverted over 1,000 tons of household hazardous waste in 2025 and has reached the state recycling goal of 75% for the past few years,” Hodgson said.
Commissioners asked questions, raised a few concerns
After hearing the presentation, Commissioner Bill McDaniel said he was “totally OK” with the easterly expansion, but he asked county staff to continue focusing on technologies that could help consume the waste, including bioreactors.
“We have to look at any and all options, as we’re going forward, to review the economic viability of those options,” he said.
During discussions, Commissioner Rick LoCastro questioned whether the county would have to invest anything further before raising the height of the landfill to camouflage it or otherwise minimize its visual or environmental impacts. In answer, Hodgson said there weren’t any additional requirements for preparing the site.
“That being said, managing the landfill is an art, and ensuring that we’re good neighbors and following best practices is always part of the daily job of what we do,” she said.
She said she’d look into options for reducing the impacts on neighboring properties.
Public spoke in favor of the expansion
An environmental advocate and two business leaders spoke in favor of the landfill’s expansion.
Brad Cornell, a policy associate for Audubon Western Everglades and Audubon Florida, emphasized how difficult it is to site a new landfill.
“Nobody really wants to have one near them,” so it makes sense to expand the existing one, he said.
He encouraged the county to continue looking for ways to maximize recycling and to reduce waste, including landfill mining.
“We hope to be involved as it goes forward,” Cornell said.
Howard Murrell, president of Quality Enterprises, and Matthew Hunter, CEO of Carter Fence, spoke about the need for the landfill expansion to support their businesses and their hundreds of employees, along with their families, in Collier County.
Hunter thanked the county for being proactive.
“We don’t take that for granted,” he said. “We’re grateful to be here, and we’re not going anywhere.”
Laura Layden is a senior business and government reporter. Reach her by email at laura.layden@naplesnews.com.
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This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Collier County landfill expansion approved by commissioners
Reporting by Laura Layden, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
