King County’s updated waste management plan, which includes an expansion of the Cedar Hills Landfill, appears to be on track for final approval.
In April, the county council voted to approved the new Comprehensive Waste Management Plan. That plan includes spending as much as $270 million on the county's only landfill that is filling up.
Before that can happen, a 75% majority of local governments must approve the plan before the Washington State Department of Ecology reviews and approves or disapproves. A spokesperson for Ecology said the department previously approved of the options presented in the plan and would "likely accept the final plan if it is approved by the local communities."
Last week, the Renton City Council approved a resolution supporting the plan, according to the Renton Reporter.
An actual expansion of the landfill would still need to go through an environmental review and permitting process.
The county’s solid waste department says the landfill is at capacity. Pat McLaughlin, director of Solid Waste, previously told KING 5 they handled nearly 1 million tons of trash in 2018. He warned the landfill would reach capacity by 2025.
The county identified several options to help mitigate the issue.
The first option is to develop in Area 9, the last place where the county can expand at Cedar Hills. It would involve moving a parking lot and administrative trailers so that more waste could be dumped. It could extend the life of the landfill to at least 2040, according to McLaughlin.
The second option is to put the trash on a rail system and export it hundreds of miles away to an out-of-county landfill.
The third option is to build a waste to energy facility that would incinerate the garbage and generate energy.