Citizens of Boone County voiced their support – and concerns – regarding the potential expansion of the Bavarian Waste Landfill, the county’s lone garbage dump.
The Bavarian landfill is located on a 461-acre plot in southern Boone County, just off I-71. According to Boone County, it has a carrying capacity of over 11 million tons, 9.25 tons of which have already been filled. If solid waste collection trends continue, the landfill will reach full capacity. It receives solid waste from Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties.
Consequently, Bavarian wants to expand the landfill to allow for the disposal of an additional 37.7 million tons of non-hazardous solid waste. The landfill and surrounding parcels are already zoned as Agricultural 1 and 2, which would allow for sanitary landfill operation under Boone County zoning regulations.
Last week, LINK nky reported that Bavarian Landfill Manager Nick Brueggemann said additional construction or land acquisition would not be necessary if the expansion is approved.
The Northern Kentucky Solid Waste Management Board held a public hearing on Feb. 3 as part of the expansion process. Residents of all three counties were encouraged to provide feedback.
Public feedback from the hearing varied. Some residents favored the expansion, while others expressed concerns about how it could adversely impact their property and the broader community.
Several neighbors of Bavarian’s landfill complained of invasive buzzard flocks and putrid smells disrupting their day-to-day lives.
“I’m sure you were really excited to get home and open your windows and let the fresh air come in after the cold weather we’ve been having,” resident Marianne Chevalier said. “I don’t get to do that. I don’t get to do that because when I open my windows, I smell the dump in my house.”
Margaret Hoffman, a nearby landowner, said the smell generated by the landfill was “unbearable.”
“Our family has farmed the land for decades, way before the Bavarian land Bill was established,” she said. “Due to the airflow on some days, the landfill fills the air so badly that is almost impossible to stay in the garden, yard or fields; the stench from the landfill is pretty much unbearable.”
Conversely, other residents spoke positively of the landfill expansion, saying it benefited the community. Resident Doug Bramer cited the need for an expanded landfill due to Boone County’s anticipated economic growth in the coming decades.
“You want to grow your counties with more businesses, more restaurants – that waste has to go somewhere,” Bramer said. “All of us citizens, we like to go out and eat at these restaurants; we don’t want to pay exorbitant prices. Waste disposal has a cost associated with it. When you’re when you have a landfill in this close proximity to your to your homes, to your businesses, that reduces the cost for every taxpayer who Boone and the surrounding area.”
Daniel Landrum, a senior project manager at Weaver Consultants Group, a firm working with Bavarian on the expansion, said the landfill was a well-run operation
“You’re really lucky to have a well-run site in your county that takes such pride in what they do,” Landrum said. “I work with a lot of landfills and I can’t say that about every one of them.”
Last January, Bavarian Waste Bavarian sent a letter to the Boone County Public Works Department asking to expand the landfill. The landfill is managed by the Northern Kentucky Solid Waste Management Board, a tri-county organization consisting of the judges/executive of Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties, along with a commissioner from each county.
At Bavarian’s request, the three counties’ fiscal courts passed an interlocal cooperation agreement to start the landfill expansion process. The Northern Kentucky Solid Waste Management Board began the expansion in May.
The expansion request must undergo multiple rounds of public comment before it is sent to the Kentucky Division of Waste Management for final approval.
“This process did already start in January of ’24 so it’s been a long time coming,” Boone County Engineer Rob Franxman said. “We obviously don’t want to rush through anything. Again, as I said earlier, we want to gather as much data and make sure that we make a responsible decision. “
The next step is to present the expansion request to the Northern Kentucky Solid Waste Management Board. The meeting, scheduled for Thursday, February 13, will allow public comment.
This article includes reporting from LINK nky’s Nathan Granger.
