If the Monarch Hill landfill next to Coconut Creek isn’t expanded, Broward residents may see a 30–40% increase in trash costs

Coconut Creek, Florida – A county commissioner inquired about the expenses if they rejected the proposed expansion of the Monarch Hill Landfill near to Coconut Creek at the conclusion of a lengthy and occasionally heated public meeting last week.

In the end, county homeowners would have to pay an additional 30 to 40 percent to have their municipal waste transported to an Okeechobee landfill.

“So, if someone pays $485, their Parkland garbage bill will increase to $650?” Parkland resident and County Commissioner Michael Udine remarked.

Those figures are about correct, Udine was told by William Laystrom, a WM lawyer who used to work at Waste Management. The landfill is owned and operated by the corporation.

Last week, the Broward County Commission postponed deciding whether to let the landfill to grow by around 24 acres and to dump waste up to 10 floors higher—that is, 325 feet—instead of the current limit of 225 feet.

On January 28, the panel is expected to resume its investigation.

Residents and city officials in Coconut Creek turned out in force, with scores of people protesting the landfill’s expansion.

To determine the specifics of the concessions the corporation provided the county in the event that the expansion was allowed, the commission postponed making a decision. These concessions include agreeing to cover the cost of transportation to carry municipal household waste to its Okeechobee dump, stopping the landfill’s collection of such waste after 2027, and providing the county with around $3 million over ten years for a recycling education program.

The landfill will only take building and demolition waste after 2027, according to the company’s proposal. The unpleasant smell that locals have complained about is frequently caused by decomposing household trash.

Attorney Andrew Meyers of Broward County suggested that the panel wait to decide in order to discuss the specifics with the business.

“They’re offering things that are substantial, so I think it’s absolutely essential that we get it right, including the language of whatever voluntary commitment Waste Management makes,” he stated. “However, they are only significant if they are unambiguous and enforceable.”

Udine requested that the business send the commission a brief, one-page document outlining the potential costs for county inhabitants should they choose not to expand the landfill.