Alpha Ridge Landfill Facts & Figures

Alpha Ridge Landfill is Howard County's third public landfill, and the only public landfill open to accept waste. Alpha Ridge landfill was opened in 1980, and is located on a 600 acre site, of which 190 acres is permitted for landfilling.

Although all household trash collected from Howard County homes is currently being exported to a private landfill located in King George County, Virginia, residential and commercial trash is still being accepted at Alpha Ridge Landfill. A small portion of Howard County trash continues to be buried at the Alpha Ridge Landfill. See SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN.

• Howard County's existing landfill opened in May 1980 at a cost of $5.25 million, including 600 acres of land costing $1.2 million.
  
  
• From 1980-1993, the initial unlined area of 70 acres received 2.3 million tons of waste.
  
  
• In January 1993, a 40 acre lined cell (4-10 acre sub-cells) was finished at a cost of $7.6 million, including a leachate handling system. Current landfilling averages less than 30 tons per day. In the year 2005, we expect to receive only 1,000 tons for burial. All remaining waste is transferred out of state to Virginia (King George County Landfill).
  
  
• Peak year for filling was 1989 at 287,000 tons.
  
  
• Another 80 acres can be used to construct lined landfill cells in addition to the 110 acres currently developed.
  
  
• The 70 acre unlined cell has been capped, which includes landfill gas extraction and groundwater remediation systems.
  
  
• Current annual operating cost is $10.0 million (not including debt service). This includes groundwater monitoring and treatment.