Kansas City needs to deal with its trash problem. New landfill is a realistic solution | Opinion

Most people don’t think about where our trash goes once we bag it up and get it to the curb. It disappears into a trash truck and we probably don’t give it another thought. But here’s the reality: If we don’t start thinking about it, and more important, doing something about it, it’s going to cause a big problem for our community. And I’m not just saying this because I’m proposing to develop a new landfill in south Kansas City. The facts show the need.

Here’s why — the Kansas City metropolitan area is booming. We’ve attracted nearly a half-million more residents since 2000. That’s great news, except when you consider that our nearby landfills are all filling up more quickly than anticipated. Our dramatic population increase is one factor leading to the maxed out landfill capacity, but so is human behavior. We’re just not recycling at the rate we should be.

Our local elected leaders are working hard to find ways to promote recycling, and that would certainly help address our trash problem. But what about our waste that can’t be recycled, like most pizza boxes and Amazon packaging? We need a multidimensional approach to solving this problem.

My family-owned, local business has a plan to develop a responsible landfill in a mostly rural, undeveloped area of south Kansas City. While not top of mind for most people, landfills are a necessity. Kansas City produces 7,500 tons of trash every single day. That’s 2.7 million tons of trash each year. A study by the city shows that the available three area landfills only have 13 years before they are filled to capacity.

Kansas City already transports most of its trash, every day, to a landfill in Sugar Creek. Our new facility would be within city limits, closer to where the trash comes from, which will reduce trucks’ emissions and fuel costs. The site includes a built-in buffer zone that is more than twice as big as the actual landfill, which would comprise only a portion of the area. A state-of-the-art facility, with a wide buffer zone, would avoid harming communities while providing a needed and necessary service. In fact, our proposed landfill site is about a mile away from the nearest neighborhood. On top of all this, revenue from the new facility would provide funds to reduce illegal dumping and increase recycling programs.

The time to plan for the future is now.

People in Kansas City have been upset for years about illegal dumping of trash in our neighborhoods. Disposing of trash, reducing illegal dumping and increasing recycling are all part of responsible waste management, and would improve the quality of life in many of us in our community.

Landfills are not usually the topic of conversation around the Monday morning water cooler. However, they are a fact of life. Let’s work together to create a solution for the region, rather than continuing to toss out the trash with no plan for where those bags will go when existing landfills are full.

Jenny Monheiser is co-owner of KC Recycle & Waste Solutions with her husband Aden Monheiser.