After a year of delays, the newest cell has been completed at the Allen County Landfill. The landfill now faces another hurdle — wind.
County Commissioners Tuesday morning continued discussion from a previous meeting concerning wind advisories and protocols at the landfill. Commissioner David Lee noted a neighbor north of the landfill has expressed concern about trash blowing onto his property.
“Some of it he tills and some of it he bales,” said Lee. “He’s just afraid he’s going to end up with a cow that ingests some of that stuff. We need to come up with a plan and get it cleaned up.”
Public Works Director Mitch Garner said staff has been busy picking up trash strewn about due to wind, especially plastic bags.
“I have two seasonal guys that I’ve hired who have already been out there picking up trash,” he explained. “I have another one coming at the end of this week or next week.”
Garner added he would have staff pick up the aforementioned trash on the concerned resident’s property. “Of course, the wind will be blowing again tomorrow,” he said.
He then inquired whether the commission would like to proceed with previously discussed wind protocols for the landfill. “How do you guys want to do that? Because we can fix it pretty easily,” said Garner.
At a previous meeting, commissioners suggested that the landfill close whenever a wind advisory is issued. “The problem is, will you get it covered up in time so that the wind doesn’t blow it all over?” asked Lee.
Garner noted he believed that staff could.
“At the very minimum, if the weather service puts out any kind of wind warning for the next day, we’re closed,” said Commissioner Jerry Daniels. “I think that’s pretty obvious. If there’s a wind warning for any portion of the day, just close for the day.”
GARNER ALSO presented commissioners with the updated annual review of the Allen County Solid Waste Management Plan.
“There’s just a few small updates and it explains what we’re doing at the landfill,” said Garner. These updates include the most recent statistics for the landfill.
In 2024, a total of 7,298.86 tons of residential waste from Allen County was transported by city and private haulers to the landfill. Commercial trash from Allen County for the same time period came to a total of 6,538.62 tons.
The largest amount of waste received at the landfill in 2024 is classified as industrial and special waste.
“Special waste includes contaminated items like telephone poles, paint filters, or asbestos,” Garner said. The industrial and special waste, combined, totaled 20,549.84 tons in 2024.
The plan also included the notation that the newest 10-acre landfill cell has been completed as of March 2025. The county owns an additional 180 acres to be used as needed. This acreage is expected to serve the residents of Allen County and the surrounding area for at least 50 to 75 years.
