No Vote On Cedar Hills Landfill Expansion

RENTON, WA — The King County Council kicked a plan that would expand the Cedar Hills landfill back to a committee on Monday morning. The Council was set to vote to adopt the 2019 Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan, but that vote is on hold for now.

The Council did approve several key amendments to the solid waste management plan related to the Cedar Hills expansion. Two key amendments introduced by Councilman Regan Dunn would limit the height of the landfill, and require Cedar Hills to maintain a 1,000 foot buffer on all sides.

Another amendment would require waste management to come up with a bird management plan for the landfill. Dunn said that a bird had recently dropped a "bag of human blood" onto a property near the landfill.

The 2019 Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan recommends expanding the landfill by boosting the height to 830 feet from 800 feet. With no expansion, the landfill will run out of space by 2028. The plan will now go back to the Regional Policy Committee for further discussion.

The plan was criticized by local residents at a special meeting of the Council in Renton on March 20. Several also showed up at Monday's meeting to speak against expansion, asking for the county to more seriously consider a waste-to-energy plant.

Expanding Cedar Hills is the cheapest option for the county, and the best for greenhouse gas emissions, the comprehensive plan says. For example, without expansion, the county could begin exporting waste, but that would cost about $55 per ton compared to $41 per ton at Cedar Hills right now.

The landfill is located along 228th Avenue Southeast in unincorporated King County between Renton and Issaquah.