When torrential rain inundated the state in July, Vermonters needed help clearing thousands of tons of debris from their homes and businesses.
“It’s stuff that was good, usable stuff until the flood,” said Josh Kelly, solid waste program manager with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. “It switched from a product, something we wanted to keep — mementos, etc., to a waste, overnight.”
Workers dropped off everything from ruined goods to construction waste at the state’s only operating landfill in Coventry, owned by Casella Waste Systems.
That landfill may be running out of room. A recent expansion, which was expected to create capacity for around 20 years, is likely, but not certain, Kelly said, to be its last. So, has the seemingly monumental amount of flood debris impacted the landfill’s capacity, or its lifespan?
So far, officials say it hasn’t.
In fact, the amount of waste the landfill accepted this summer doesn’t appear to be very different, at first glance, from last summer.
In July 2022, Vermonters sent around 30,000 tons of waste to Coventry. In August 2022, the landfill accepted around 50,000 tons, Kelly said — higher than normal, but not exceptional.
In July 2023, amid the flooding, the landfill accepted around 52,000 tons of waste.
“I think we need to see what August does,” Kelly said. “But initially, it’s not a huge spike in the numbers. It’s not to say it’s insubstantial — anything we put up there takes up space.”
Jeff Weld, a spokesperson for Casella, said in an email that natural disasters underscore the importance of landfill infrastructure, and without Vermont’s landfill, “recovery would likely look very different.”
Workers for Casella have been working outright for the last month, Weld said, and the state has allowed the landfill to accept heavier loads and extend its hours, “which has aided in safely and efficiently managing debris removal and disposal.”
“The increase in material from the flooding will not have an appreciable impact on the long-term lifespan of the landfill,” Weld said. “It’s one of the reasons they are permitted in the manner that they are, so that capacity is available in the event of an emergency.”
The fact that the state only has one operating landfill “does motivate a response” from the public, Kelly said. He appreciates public engagement on the issue.
“The one landfill drives an idea in the mind that we’re running out of space,” he said. “And eventually we will, and it’s something we’re going to have to discuss as Vermonters — where we’re going next.”
He said state officials will be discussing next steps in an upcoming materials management plan, which will be open for public comment.
