COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – The trash talk is heating up across parts of Broward County, ahead of a controversial request to expand the Monarch Hill Landfill, both vertically and horizontally.
After months of delays, Broward County is expected to consider the proposal during a meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
Hours ahead of the big county commission meeting, a special meeting was held in Coconut Creek on Monday.
4 p.m. report:
Coconut Creek Commissioner Joshua Rydell called Waste Management “bullies.”
City leaders discussed a last minute proposal from the landfill owner, apparently looking for compliance.
“We have a landfill that opened, unregulated ultimately,” said Rydell. “That has just grown and grown and grown after promises to close and close and close. Waste Management, for lack of a better term, made an offer to our city to amend a settlement agreement from 2015 to ultimately not object to the county’s meeting tomorrow in which they’ll be requesting an expansion.”
City leaders shot it down though, opting for a fight at county hall instead.
Residents all across the city have joined forces with their neighbors in Pompano Beach and Deerfield, looking to stop the garbage growth and limit the impacts on their lives.
“We’ve been fighting together as an ally,” said Deerfield Beach Mayor Bill Ganz, who attended Coconut Creek special commission meeting. “I think Waste Management’s position has been to try and divide and conquer and they were almost successful today; fortunately they weren’t.”
Coconut Creek and Deerfield Beach have organized transportation to get residents to Tuesday’s meeting at County Hall.
According to the Deerfield’s website:
Waste Management is seeking two significant expansions of the Monarch Hill landfill that will extend its use for approximately 16 additional years beyond the current 6-year lifespan, and they are as follows:
- A County Land Use Plan Amendment (LUPA) change, which would convert the old waste-to-energy facility along Green Road to additional landfill space. The LUPA requires County Commission approval.
- A proposed zoning change that would give Waste Management by right, the ability to increase the height to 325 feet. Currently, the landfill is approved for a maximum height of 225 feet and requires a variance approval to increase the height.
WM said as of January 2024, the landfill has only an estimated six years of capacity left.
Ninety percent of the material going to Monarch Hill is construction debris and bulk waste.
It is seeking a land use plan amendment for a 24-acre parcel, which was formerly the Wheelabrator North site that was demolished earlier this year.
In a presentation distributed to residents, WM said “voting no” could seriously impact operations.
You can watch the video presentation below: