AXTELL, Texas (KXXV) — A new landfill opened this week on the outskirts of Axtell, marking the end of a years-long battle between city officials and residents who opposed the facility.
Watch the full story here:
The City of Waco says the landfill is necessary to meet the community's future waste management needs as the existing facility on Hannahill Road approaches capacity.
"We may be small, but we count," said Rita Jones, a 46-year Axtell resident who has been advocating against the new landfill for years.
Jones expressed concerns about the impact on longtime residents and property values in the area.
"They're good caring people and I don't think they deserve to have their homes devalued, most especially when they were there first," Jones said.
Axtell native Gail Souders shares similar concerns about the landfill's location and its potential impact on daily life and traffic patterns.
"I drive by it every day. I will see it every day," Souders said. "I'm worried about trash on the highway. It's going to litter our highways really bad and the smell."
Both residents say they feel the city did not adequately listen to community concerns during the planning process.
"I knew we were fighting a losing battle, but I thought, you know, we're still going to count, we're still going to, you know, have our say in it," Jones said.
The new Axtell landfill opened on Oct. 1, though it is not yet accepting items from residents.
Jessica Emmett Sellers from the City of Waco explained the necessity of the new facility.
"So everybody makes trash. They never stop," Sellers said. "Landfills are a really highly regulated industry, so there are a lot of things that we are mandated to do to make sure that odor control happens."
The city says the landfill includes several measures to minimize impact on neighboring properties. Buffer zones surround the facility to reduce odor and sound impacts. Waste will be covered at the end of each day to reduce odors. The city also worked with traffic engineers to improve roadways that will handle increased traffic.
Operating hours are limited to daytime to avoid noise-related disturbances at night. Vehicles in the landfill will use specialized equipment like white noise backup alarms to minimize operation noise.
The projected life of the new landfill is 30 years. Construction costs totaled $20,853,540 and were funded by bonds in fiscal years 2022, 2023, and 2024.
The new landfill is expected to open to the public in the spring.
"I'm going to try not to glance over at it, but you know, as a human, I probably will just see what's going on," Souders said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
