North County Landfill

The SWA owns and operates the North County Landfill, located west of the Florida Turnpike near the intersection of S.R. 710 and Jog Road in northern Palm Beach County. The landfill is a critical part of the county’s integrated solid waste management system, providing safe, long-term disposal for materials that cannot be recycled or processed through other facilities.

The SWA owns and operates the North County Landfill, located west of the Florida Turnpike near the intersection of S.R. 710 and Jog Road in northern Palm Beach County. The landfill is a critical part of the county’s integrated solid waste management system, providing safe, long-term disposal for materials that cannot be recycled or processed through other facilities. Facility Overview The North County Landfill includes two landfill disposal areas – Class I and Class III – along with supporting operational facilities: Class I landfill: 262.28 acres Class III landfill: 72 acres Customer Convenience Drop-off Center: 221,484 sq. ft. Landfill Operations & Maintenance Facility: 6,700 sq. ft., powered by electricity generated at the SWA’s renewable energy facilities Capacity With more than 50 million cubic yards of airspace and a footprint of approximately 330 acres, the landfill has served Palm Beach County since 1989. Because of the opening of Renewable Energy Facility 2 in 2015, the landfill’s projected lifespan has been extended, and it’s currently expected to provide disposal capacity until 2071. (See the latest Landfill Depletion Model (PDF).) Types of Waste Accepted Class I Area The Class I landfill accepts: Ash and residue from the SWA’s renewable energy facilities Garbage and other materials that federal and state regulations require to be disposed of in a Class I landfill Class III Area The Class III area accepts materials not required to go into a Class I landfill. Common items include: Furniture Construction debris Roofing materials Wood Carpet Vegetative debris This material is collectively referred to as “trash.” How the Landfill Is Constructed The landfill is built in cells, each averaging about 10 acres. New cells are constructed as older ones are filled and closed. Every cell contains a highly-engineered liner and leachate collection system designed to protect groundwater. Liner System Each cell typically includes: Compacted sand base Geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) 60-millimeter HDPE plastic liner Two layers of geonet to promote water flow Second 60-millimeter HDPE liner Additional geonet layer Geotextile filter cloth This multi-layer system prevents leachate – water that has percolated through the waste – from reaching the water table. Leachate Collection A robust collection system sits on top of the liner: Perforated pipes Drainage medium made of rounded river rock Filter fabric Leachate flows through this system to a header, gravity line, pump station and force main before being safely injected 3,200 feet below ground into an industrial deep well.