Landfill in Schuylkill County, Pa., Begins Expansion

The newest expansion to the south is expected to actively accept trash for at least another 20 years, according to Leung. CES accepts municipal solid waste and occasionally demolition waste, but does not accept any hazardous or chemical wastes, Leung said. On average, 2,500 to 2,600 tons of trash are handled daily and the landfill employs 40 to 50 full-time employees. CES is permitted to handle up to 5,000 tons daily and accepts trash from Schuylkill and other counties.

Once arriving at the landfill, garbage haulers place their trucks on a weight scale, and are weighed upon entering and exiting; they’re charged by the weight of trash they deposit. There’s also a radiation detection system to ensure no trucks are bringing hazardous materials there, according to Dexter.

CES does a lot of on-site recycling. For instance, the landfill has its own rock crusher, which supplies rocks that are used on roads and around piping. It also has its own reverse-osmosis leachate water treatment plant. Leachate is liquid that drains from a landfill. Reverse osmosis uses water purification technology to remove ions, molecules and larger particles from the water. CES uses the majority of its clean water it processes for dust control at the landfill. Water trucks disperse the clean water on site. Very little of the treated water remains. If there is an excess of treated water, it is permitted through DEP to be discharged into Little Creek, Dexter said.