The Board voted Tuesday night to allow additional trash to be buried at the Pittsylvania County landfill. This will generate approximately $435,000 in annual revenue without increasing operating expenses or requiring additional staff. The five-year contract with First Piedmont Corporation - the company that will haul the trash from the City of Danville to the landfill - includes a rate of $29 per ton, and that revenue will be used to help pay for necessary capital expenses in Pittsylvania County's solid waste program.
"The Pittsylvania County landfill is a major asset, and we are using it to generate revenue that helps us pay for needed capital costs that will benefit our citizens," said Vic Ingram, Chairman of the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors. "We are adding over $400,000 in annual revenue without increasing operating expenses, all while taking just a few years off the landfill's lifespan."
Pittsylvania County first began utilizing the landfill to generate revenue in January of 2020. Bays Trash Removal hauls waste from the Town of Bedford to the Pittsylvania County landfill, which yields about $450,000 a year, while an additional $1.4 million in annual revenue comes from a contract with First Piedmont Corporation, which brings trash from Martinsville and Henry County. Pittsylvania County is not responsible for collecting this trash, just burying it in the landfill once it arrives.
This extra revenue is utilized to cover financing payments for large, necessary capital costs. In August of 2021 the Board of Supervisors approved up to $9 million in financing for the opening of a new cell at the landfill, the purchase of some equipment that will allow for more efficient operations, and the development of three new convenience centers. All of these purchases directly benefit the residents of Pittsylvania County but are being paid for by outside entities.
Despite the extra trash from other localities, the landfill has an expected lifespan of more than 68 years at the current rate. This is due to strategic efforts to improve compaction rates and increase the efficiency of the landfill.
