ENVIRONMENT
Economically sustainable model o
ENVIRONMENT
NJ Landfill Offers a New Approa
By Gary DeFranco and Daryl O ’ Dell
Economically sustainable model o
Around the United States , many landfills are reaching the end of the 30-year landfill post-closure period required by the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ( RCRA ) Subtitle D regulations governing landfills that came into effect in 1990 . One such landfill is Kinsley ’ s Deptford Renewable Energy Center ( previously known as Kinsley ’ s Landfill , Inc .) in Deptford Township . Required to maintain the landfill in the post-post-closure period ( aka custodial care ), Kinsley ’ s developed and implemented an economically sustainable custodial care model giving them the financial strength needed to care for the facility for years to come . The project received the 2022 Sustainability Award from NJ SWANA , a voluntary group of professionals dedicated to the advancement of integrated solid waste management that is both environmentally sound and economical . It may very well serve as a model for the many other solid waste landfills that need to build revenue to long-term care after closure .
The regrading program restores slopes to conditions optimal for promoting stormwater runoff while directing the runoff to existing on-site stormwater controls .
Kinsley needed funds to extend its post-closure care for 10 more years
Kinsley ’ s Deptford Renewable Energy Center is a closed 137-acre landfill located on 194 acres in Deptford Township in Gloucester County . The landfill accepted municipal solid waste from Gloucester County and neighboring communities from the 1960s through 1987 . The facility then closed in compliance with a New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection ( NJDEP ) approved Closure and Post Closure ( CPC ) Care Plan . In 2015 , Kinsley ’ s negotiated with the NJDEP to extend post-closure care for another 10 years beyond the original 30-year post-closure maintenance period , until 2027 .
Kinsley ’ s recognized that it had to develop a way to pay for required ongoing maintenance and monitoring activities to deal with the continued production of landfill gas and leachate . The site had reserved funds for the 30-year post-closure period but needed additional funds in order to pay for the required extended care .
Sustainable activities generate income for maintenance
In conjunction with local and state officials , Kinsley ’ s developed a pragmatic approach with sustainable activities capable of generating sufficient revenue to maintain and monitor the landfill for the 10-year period . The program ’ s two key revenue generating components are a soil reuse and regrading program to restore pre-settlement landfill slopes and development of a
Powering 14,000 homes with clean solar energy eliminates the carbon dioxide that would have been crea
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