The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has approved a construction permit for what would be the state's first new solid waste disposal facility in more than two decades.
Pettis County Development Company announced last week that the state issued a permit allowing construction of the Presidio Environmental Repository Facility, a sanitary landfill planned for northwestern Pettis County, near Sedalia.
According to the company, the facility will be built on a 628-acre site, about seven miles northwest of Sedalia. The landfill itself would occupy about 90 acres, with the remaining property used for roads, stormwater controls, leachate collection systems, gas monitoring equipment and other supporting infrastructure.
Derrick Standley, manager of the proposed landfill, said the facility is intended to help meet Missouri's growing waste disposal needs.
"Solid waste management is a major challenge in Missouri," Standley said. "The state has about 16 landfills remaining, and that number is expected to drop in the coming years. Facilities like this are important for maintaining disposal capacity and supporting economic growth."
The DNR approved the project after reviewing engineering plans, geological and hydrological studies, operating procedures and groundwater protection measures required under Missouri's solid waste regulations, the company said in a press release.
Missouri currently has 17 active landfills. Pettis County Development Company said the new facility is intended to provide additional disposal capacity for central and west-central Missouri.
The landfill is designed to accept nonhazardous municipal, commercial and industrial waste, along with certain special wastes that meet state requirements.
Construction cannot begin until the company satisfies additional permit conditions and receives an operating permit from the DNR.
But they expect the landfill to be operational by next summer.
