Waste Management
Landfills: Not just a “dump” anymore!
How Good Landfill Operations Can (indirectly)
Benefit Bats
Tennessee Bat Working Group Meeting
November 20, 2014
Jessica Preston
Director – Environmental Protection Program
AL-TN-AR-KY Market Area
Company
Overview
Transformational Change
Not just a push – pack – cover company!
 Know Our Customers Better
than Anyone Else
 Extract More Value from the
Waste Stream
 Innovate and Optimize our
Operations
Transformational Goals by 2020
Focus on management of existing resources
 More than double our recyclables volume to 20 million
tons per year
 Improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions of our fleet
by 15%
 Double the amount of green energy produced from waste
to power more than two million homes
 Quadruple our wildlife habitat sites to 100 certified sites
(in 2008, 49 Wildlife Habitat Council certified sites)
Why Landfills as Conservation Partners?
We’ve got space…and time…
 Across North America…
 266 active landfills (419 closed sites)
 In Tennessee…
 Over 2000 ac controlled by WM
TOTAL
PERMITTED
CONSTRUCTED
NEXT CELL
SITE
ACRES
ACRES
ACRES
ACRES
IGEC
264
77.0
71.6
4.0
CRLRC
412
176.6
123.2
8.5
SSLF
161
62.3
58.7
2.0
WCLF
467
167.0
102.2
15
CRLF
385
165.1
95.1
10.5
UCLF
127
15.0
15.0
NA
QHLF
388
73.0
64.0
NA
Why Landfills as Conservation Partners?
Land use varies across a site:

Primary operations (permitted area)–averages 30% of total land area
• Only a few acres at most “open” at a time – the rest is in the
process of stabilization

Secondary/Support operations (Averages 10% of total land area)– roads,
scale house, equipment shop, leachate tank, flare, borrow areas

Over 60% of total land - buffer zones, future development areas and
unsuitable land provide habitat!
Landfills are often near/in cities/suburbs

Provide large contiguous parcels of land for potential conservation use
Why Landfills as Conservation Partners?
Why Landfills as Conservation Partners?
 Key components of habitat
 Food
 Water
 Space/Cover
 Landfills provide for these
needs





Sediment ponds
Wetlands
Creeks/streams
Forests
Grasslands
Specifically…how can landfills benefit wildlife?
Regulations, Space/Time, Partnerships
Regulatory Protections
WM has a culture of strict
environmental compliance and
strives to operate within all
applicable regulations.
Site permitting cannot proceed without
completion of endangered species
survey (part of TDSWM regulation 040011-01-.02; 0400-11-01-.04)
Fill areas/development areas typically
are not sited nor developed over karst
features such as would be used by bats
Protected Habitats
Secure Variety of Habitat
 Variety of ecocystems on site –
grasslands, wetlands, forested
habitats

Rocky outcrops/crevices,
Oak/Hickory, Cedar, Pine
forests
 Perennial water
Cleaner than you might
expect:

Litter, pollution, noise are
minimized due to permit
requirements even at big sites
Variety of Habitat Represented
Stable land ownership/management
We’re in it for the long term
• Operations: will extend
through next 10-20+ years
• Post-closure care period:
30 – 40(+) years
• Includes appropriate
environmental monitoring,
site maintenance/security
• Financial assurance
•
Redevelopment opportunities limited
Partnership with Conservation Organizations
 Wildlife Habitat Council
www.wildlifehc.org

Independent non profit –
“…promotes and certifies
habitat conservation and
management on working lands
through partnerships and
education.”
 WHC has 174 programs
directly targeting bats; 15
programs that are “strongly
bat-focused”.
WM has 134 sites with
certified programs
 1 in TN
 35 that focus on bats
Southern Services C&D Landfill
Wildlife at Work Program – Nashville, TN
Actively manage ~30 ac for
wildlife





Briley Parkway and Ashland City
Highway
Current program focus on
songbirds, great blue herons,
wood ducks and invasive plant
species control
Large wetland area
Cedar-Oak-Hickory forest –
varying ages
Grassland
Southern Services C&D Landfill
Wildlife at Work Program – Nashville, TN
Southern Services C&D Landfill
Wildlife at Work Program – Nashville, TN
Elements of the program
 Weekly monitoring of duck boxes and
bluebird houses
 Nesting success
 Observations of wildlife in vicinity
 Upload of all bird data to ebird
 Quarterly Education Programs for
Site Employees, neighbors and
vendors – great feedback
 Frequent visits from TOS members
 Annual survey of invasive species
with removal
Southern Services C&D Landfill
Wildlife at Work Program – Nashville, TN
 In 2014 education program
discussed “Bat Basics” at one
quarterly meeting
 WHC/BCI webinars attended by
managers
 Future program opportunity for
bats is under evaluation (201516)
 Bathouses
 Ongoing education
 Bat count?
Questions?