Local landfills will see their costs go up starting this year as the city of Meridian increases its fees for disposing of leachate due to rising costs and potential liability.

 

In a City Council work session Tuesday, Waggoner Engineering’s David Ruhl explained leachate is rainwater that percolates through the garbage in a landfill. As the water filters down, he said, it picks up contaminants from the garbage including polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, that are considered hazardous material.

 

PFAS, also called “forever chemicals,” are manmade compounds that break down slowly and remain in the environment for a long time. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, some research has shown exposure to some PFAS can lead to longterm health issues.

 

In the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, passed by Congress in 2021, more than $10 billion was earmarked specifically for projects to remove PFAS pollution from water, and in April 2024, the EPA announced a new rule setting maximum contaminant levels for six PFAS in drinking water, the first rule of its kind.

 

The EPA requires landfills have systems in place to collect and store the leachate so it can be disposed of properly. Waste Management and Waste Pro both dispose of their leachate from their nearby landfills at Meridian’s wastewater treatment plants.

 

While the city has not had a signed agreement, it has been charging the two companies a fee of 3.5 cents per gallon to dispose of the leachate, Ruhl said. Beginning Jan. 1, however, that cost rose to 7 cents per gallon with planned increases of 25 cents per gallon annually.

 

In speaking with other solid waste experts in the area, Ruhl said he learned 6-7 cents per gallon was not an unreasonable amount, and the 25 cent increases are intended to encourage companies to consider cheaper alternatives. Meridian has long been the cheapest option, he said, but rising costs, PFAS regulations and potential liability down the line make it prudent for the city to look at ending its leachate program.

 

“The city needs to get out of the leachate business,” he said.

 

Instead of ending the program outright, the new contract will give landfill operators a few years to find other ways to dispose of their leachate, Ruhl said, and line up any manpower and equipment they will need to get it done.

 

Councilman Dwayne Davis said he wanted to discuss leachate disposal as it is another source of revenue that could be used to pay for sewer repairs required under the federally mandated sewer consent decree. The city is constantly looking for alternative revenue for the consent decree, which is expected to top $150 million over the 20-year life of the project.

 

Leachate is not a big moneymaker for the city, Ruhl said, with revenue of maybe $300,000 each year. With further restrictions on PFAS on the horizon, he said, Meridian does not make enough money from leachate to be worth the trouble.

 

“We don’t do PFAS monitoring now, but it’s going to happen one day,” he said.