In the latest chapter of the controversy surrounding the Middle Point Landfill—one of the largest waste dumps in the area, owned by Republic Services and located in the Walter Hill community of Rutherford County—the Rutherford County Public Works & Planning Committee voted to suspend negotiations with Republic over the sale of county land next to the landfill. That land would have been central to Republic’s proposed expansion of the landfill, a plan that some resistant area residents and local leaders have labeled a “superdump.”

In an attempt to win the public’s support for expanding the landfill’s size, Republic Services staged a town hall meeting earlier this spring, promoting its “Economic Benefits Package,” a series of financial proposals that included offering Rutherford County residents free waste disposal for the next 50 years, as well as taking over and assuming the $26 million owed on the county’s recently built transfer station.

Following the town hall, Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland pointed out that Republic had “seeded” its own representatives posing as residents of Murfreesboro to present supportive testimony.

“It’s disappointing. This was supposed to be about hearing from real people,” McFarland said.

Public confidence was further diluted as locals flooded social media to ridicule the event as a “PR stunt” and questioned Republic’s attempts to earnestly engage with the public.

Adding fuel to the public’s distrust of Republic, reports have also swirled regarding the company approaching officials in various districts with donation proposals tailored to the communities, potential monetary support that included financing for community projects such as a football field, senior center, archery team and park enhancements, raising suspicions among some who saw the incentives as an attempt to buy the support and votes of various commissioners.

Not long after the town hall, at its subsequent meeting, the Rutherford County Public Works & Planning Committee voted to suspend negotiations with Republic over the sale of county-owned land next to the landfill.

The landfill, which began operations decades ago when the area was largely rural, now sits near the increasingly suburban neighborhood of Walter Hill. Homes, schools, parks and businesses now surround the facility, prompting questions about whether a landfill of this scale—let alone a much larger one—is compatible with current surrounding land use.

Vice Chairman of the Public Works Committee Phil Dodd addressed the expansion during the committee’s April 8 meeting.

“I’m trying to tamp down the misinformation that we’re going to have a vote to expand the landfill by declaring to the community that we’re taking it off the table,” Dodd said. “I motion that Public Works will not entertain at this time any more information from Republic nor will we consider the expansion of the landfill.”

The landfill issue is close to home for County Commissioner Steve Pearcy, as Middle Point Landfill resides in his district.

“I would like to thank Mr. Dodd for making that motion on behalf of my district,” said Commissioner Pearcy. “This will allow us to move forward with our transfer station and work on other plans for our trash such as recycling.”

The motion passed, evidently signaling that, at least for now, Republic will not be purchasing land next to its existing landfill property to expand Middle Point.

Based on public comments from the City of Murfreesboro’s attorney Adam Tucker, 680,000 tons of aluminum dross, a byproduct of smelting processes, has been deposited at Middle Point between 1995 and 2007, according to state environmental records. The Environmental Protection Agency has listed aluminum dross as a factor for the landfill’s rise in temperature. This type of waste can eat through the polyethylene liner that surrounds the landfills, resulting in contamination of surrounding soil and groundwater, potentially carrying toxic chemicals and pollutants into groundwater aquifers and the municipal water supply.

Adding a further twist, the City of Murfreesboro has begun to look into annexing the current landfill property into its city limits.

Annexation would not directly change operations at the landfill, but could offer more city regulation, including zoning authority and some oversight rights of the property.

The discussion surrounding the landfill has grown increasingly heated. Rutherford County Mayor Joe Carr, a leader among opponents who spoke out against it, has noted that he has even received death threats in recent months due to the mounting tension of the ongoing issue with Republic.

While Mayor Carr has been publicly opposed to the landfill’s expansion plans, Commissioner Craig Harris has criticized past efforts to circumvent the county’s Public Works Committee and has defended the landfill’s operations over recent times, noting the decreasing incidence of complaints from the public regarding the odor.

In turn, Commissioner Mike Kusch and others have criticized Harris’ misrepresentation of the landfill situation and his own ties to Republic Services.

“The county commission needs to consider the dangers an out-of-control landfill can have on current residents of this county and future generations,” longtime Rutherford County resident Eric Myers said at the committee’s meeting in April, which ended with the committee voting to cease discussions regarding the sale of neighboring county land to the landfill.

In the meantime, social media forums and town meetings have become war zones among Rutherford County residents over issues of the environment, property value, and identity.

Critics maintain that continuing or expanding operations at Middle Point poses long-term environmental damage and degrades residents’ quality of life. Many have called for investment in new waste solutions such as regional landfill siting, recycling expansion, and new waste-to-energy technologies, as well as the proposed transfer station.

“I want to see some dynamic, new ways to recycle, to address this issue with long-term solutions,” said Commissioner Robert Peay Jr. “I hope we’re not going to continue into the next century digging hole after hole in the ground and throwing trash in it. That’s just not going to work.”

Republic Services continues to claim the landfill as a vital infrastructure resource to Middle Tennessee. With Middle Point providing for Nashville and its surrounding communities’ waste disposal, the company warns that shutting down the facility without a suitable alternative would present logistical and financial burdens to the entire region.

“We don’t need to expand Middle Point, we need to let it go into closure,” said MTSU student Joseph Gray during the committee’s hearing. “I hate not only the eyesore of the mountain, but also the smell along with the environmental and health issues that can occur from this continued expansion of the landfill, which would be devastating to the people and property values in the Walter Hill area.”