Facts About Our Facility and Operations

  • How much (percentage) of our County waste is being transported to out of state facilities?At this time, approximately 96% of the County’s waste is transported out of state, though this amount does slightly vary every year. Currently, the County’s transfer contract states that the waste is transported to a private landfill in Chambersburg, PA, but this may change with future operational needs of the contractor and/or new Service Agreements. 
  • Is it a mix of residential, commercial, and construction waste or is there any waste category that is not being transported to PA? Residential, commercial, institutional, and construction wastes are transported to the private landfill in Chambersburg, PA. Asbestos, radioactive materials, and recycling are not transported to that facility. 
  • Are there other facilities that our waste will be going to in the future and where are those facilities? It is unknown where waste may be transported in the future, as this is determined through the procurement process.  However, it is likely that other private waste management landfills in different locations will ultimately be used for waste disposal should Frederick County continue to export its wastes.
  • Why has the County stopped converting our gas to energy for use at the facility and started flaring instead? The gas-to-energy project was ceased (in CY2018) because the company could no longer make it profitable due to significant drop in electrical prices (due to the influence of the Marcellus shale ramp up) in conjunction with declining gas production. The supply of gas production from the closed cells at the landfill was always expected to diminish and limit the useful life of the gas to energy project. Both landfills continue to produce gas sufficient to run the large flare station 24/7 and will into the future, albeit with a downward linear regression for gas production.