MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN) — After 30 years collecting trash from other counties, the city of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County have said, “Enough is enough.”
With Middle Point Landfill set to reach capacity within four years, city and county leaders said they want to take action and prepare for what’s next when it comes to trash.
“This is not just a Murfreesboro issue,” Murfreesboro mayor Shane McFarland said. “It is an issue that affects most people who live in Rutherford County.”
Some leaders believe they have come up with a solution to a problem that’s been piling up for years.
“Who would you rather partner with to address the health and safety of its citizens? A multi-billion corporation headquartered in Arizona?” Rutherford County mayor Joe Carr said. “Or would you rather see the people who live here, who work here, who educate their children here and who grow here? That is the question that is before us.”
That’s why both mayors have proposed something new: they want to form a “study group” comprised of elected Rutherford County officials and elected officials from the City of Murfreesboro.
“In an effort to move toward this goal, Rutherford County and the city of Murfreesboro will enter into a process by which we will construct — hopefully — a Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, to address the county’s long-term solid waste needs,” Carr said.
“Continuing the process of being Middle Tennessee’s literal dumping ground where roughly 70% of the trash that comes into Rutherford County is outside of our borders may bring money into the county, but it’s not beneficial to our residents’ health, safety and public welfare,” McFarland said.
During a Thursday press conference, the mayors focused on what will happen after the Middle Point Landfill reaches capacity. As of publication, the landfill expects to maintain operations for another four years. In the past, the company has told News 2 they could look to expand their operations.
“Middle Tennessee is approaching a trash crisis, we have massive amounts of growth, massive amounts of infrastructure need,” said Middle Point Landfill General Manager Mike Classen in a previous interview with News 2.
Classen previously explained they wanted to dump more waste onto a plot of land that wasn’t previously suitable for more trash, but now is.
“It’s not a major modification. It’s not an expansion of any kind. It’s just using the airspace that we already have permitted,” he said in May 2024.
Classen said the move had been in the works since 2011 and they had been thoroughly monitoring and studying the area.
However, Classen’s assurances haven’t been enough to calm leaders’ concerns.
“Middle Point Landfill in the Walter Community is scheduled to close in the near future, and it is imperative that Rutherford County become solid waste independent before that closure occurs,” Carr said.
The mayors said another major problem to address is trash being carried into the county from surrounding counties, including Davidson County.
“It is time for Davidson County to deal with their problem of their solid waste in a responsible way within their own county borders — not within Rutherford County,” Carr said.
Rutherford County is in the process of building a $20 million facility at the Old Rutherford County landfill, and it is expected to be operational in May or July 2025. The mayor has looked to use the site as an alternative to the Middle Point Landfill.
In response to the announcement from the Rutherford County Commissioner Craig Harris (D-15) released a statement:
“As an elected member of the Rutherford County Commission, it is my duty to hear all sides of an issue and follow the laws and processes established by the county government. It’s unfortunate that Mayors Carr and McFarland are attempting to establish a committee that could circumvent the county’s Public Works Committee and thwart its ability to make decisions that are in the best interest of our county. It’s the commission’s obligation to hear all sides when addressing the future of solid waste, and we do not need to form another committee to do this.”
