RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — For hundreds of Rutherford County residents, their neighbor is quite literally a dump.
Middle Point Landfill, sometimes referred to as Mount Trashmore, has piled up for years. County leaders have started to have tough conversations to determine the landfill’s future.
Tom Hollins bought his Wood Valley Drive home 35 years ago. However, shortly after moving in, he started to feel buyer’s remorse.
“The real estate agent lied and told me they weren’t going to reopen,” Hollins said. “[There’s] no way I would’ve bought this property if I had known the landfill was going to reopen.”
Hollins has grown frustrated from dealing with trash in his yard from passing dump trucks, but Middle Point Landfill has introduced a proposal to expand.
Republic Services’ area director and Middle Point Landfill’s general manager, Mike Classen, said instead of running out of capacity in four years, their plan would cover the county’s trash needs for the next five decades. One of the first parts of the proposal is to stop accepting household trash from Davidson County and limit commercial waste.
“We would agree to a cap, a contractually enforceable cap, on the number of out-of-county tons that can come in, which makes sure that Middle Point is taking care of Rutherford County first before the rest of Middle Tennessee,” Classen said.
These limits, Classen added, would cut the amount of trash coming into Middle Point Landfill by half.
Middle Point also wants to take over the previous county landfill. They would put future waste in a valley between the two properties and fix the old landfill site to meet modern environmental standards. It’s a job they estimate would save the county $265 million. In addition, Middle Point would also add recycling.
“It’s 2025, people expect recycling,” Classen said. “Right now, we’re operating like it’s 1989 and have absolutely no recycling happening whatsoever.”
Trash service would remain free for Rutherford County residents. Still — both the county and Murfreesboro mayor oppose expansion. Numerous residents also spoke out against it in front of county leaders.
“It’s going to be hard to not have a landfill and pay to go somewhere else because it could affect our tax rate,” said resident and former County Commissioner Will Jordan. “But 93 other counties, minus a couple don’t have landfills, they take their garbage somewhere else. And I would love to see a day when our garbage wasn’t being brought through Walter Hill.”
Although Hollins liked some aspects of Middle Point Landfill’s new plan, he’d happily pay more to take trash somewhere else.
“I mean, let’s face it: I’m in my 70s,” Hollins said. “I don’t have that many years left, so I don’t think I will ever see the end of this landfill.”
Middle Point’s proposal also includes creating an environmental council to address any concerns from residents.
