On Thursday April 12, 2018, the Rutherford County Commissioners received a briefing from solid waste consultants Gershman, Brickner & Bratton (GBB) about the solid waste feasibility study conducted by the County, the City of Murfreesboro, and their consultants over the past 18 months.

Following the briefing and some in-depth discussion, the Commissioners voted against allowing Republic Services to conduct exploratory investigations at the County Landfill. Those investigations would have been the first step in gathering information about the management option known as “Middle Point 2.0.” Shortly thereafter, the Commissioners voted against any further consideration of Middle Point 2.0 when planning for the county’s future solid waste management system.

A video of the April 12 County Commission meeting can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5rfr8L-cB4, and a copy of the consultant’s presentation can be downloaded here.

Click the link below for answers to questions submitted by members of the public who attended the Rutherford County Solid Waste Advisory Steering Council (SWAC) meeting Feb. 27, 2018. The answers are from consultants hired by the County and the City of Murfreesboro.

Rutherford County SWAC Meeting Feb 27 2018 Responses to Comment Cards

Members of the public listen as the Rutherford County Solid Waste Advisory Council hear recommendations about moving forward.

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From a news release:

On February 27, the Rutherford County Solid Waste Advisory/Steering Council (SWAC) recommended to the local governments in Rutherford County that a solid waste authority be formed to determine, plan for, and implement the best way to handle garbage, trash, and recyclables in the future. Informally, the SWAC wants recycling and waste reduction to be an important part of the mission for the authority.

An authority would be established based on requirements outlined in the Tennessee Solid Waste Authority Act of 1991. The authority would be governed by a board of appointees, and the professional staff would provide leadership for managing waste and recyclables in the member communities. It would most likely include at least the County and Murfreesboro, and any of the other towns and cities in the county could also join, including Smyrna, La Vergne and Eagleville.

“With the current system approaching capacity, this authority will give us a sound way to manage solid waste for years to come,” said Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland.

Rutherford County Mayor Ernest Burgess added, “County residents expect us to make smart decisions with their tax dollars, and this approach gives us the best chance to do that.”

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