Landfills Sited, Engineered, Operated in a Safe and Environmentally Responsible Way

Design of Texas Landfill Incorporates Environmental Protection, Great Customer Service and Popular Community Amenities

America’s solid waste industry has developed innovative landfill technologies to protect the environment. The industry continues to advance the development and implementation of innovative technologies: Landfill liners, covers, and gas and leachate collection controls allow for safe disposal of waste. But we also make vital contributions to our local communities economically and socially.  Industry and community partnerships throughout the country have created beneficial uses of landfills for commercial, recreational and other community benefits.

Texas Disposal Systems Inc. (TDS) of Austin, TX started in 1977 as a small commercial hauling operation.  It permitted the first integrated landfill, recycling and composting facility in Texas, when it opened in 1991. Today, the TDS facility comprises a state permitted 732-acre landfill, recycling and compost facility and a thousand-acre buffer zone. The TDS facilities receive 2,000 to 3,000 tons of waste and recyclable materials daily, and they operate around the clock, 6 days a week. On-site brush grinding, composting and recycling operations divert over 55,000 tons of material per year from landfill disposal.  TDS employs more than 500 in central Texas and is the largest employer in Creedmoor, Texas.

In addition to being a successful business, this TDS facility has been recognized as an example of the best in landfill design, engineering and operation. It recently received a Gold Landfill Management Award by the Solid Waste Association of North America. It also has been recognized with awards from the Austin Chamber of Commerce, the Austin Sustainable Business Council, the National Recycling Coalition, Keep Austin Beautiful, among others.

TDS President and CEO Bob Gregory stated, “We are very proud of what we have achieved with these facilities. We demonstrate every day that a landfill can be a good neighbor.”

The TDS site was carefully selected from parcels in the area to facilitate a community-friendly integrated facility centered on waste processing and disposal. For example the TDS landfill includes a “Citizens’ Convenience Center” where customers can unload their debris with the help of TDS staff without having to enter the active landfill disposal area. This also provides an opportunity for TDS employees to identify and segregate material that can be diverted from the landfill.  Another unique feature of the facility is the “Recycling and Resale Center,” where TDS helps customers market usable items, such as bicycles, lawnmowers, furniture, etc. to their neighbors, thereby, diverting many of these items from the landfill.

The site also is used for different entertainment and mix of land uses. Co-located on this land are a tree farm, an industrial park, an exotic game ranch, and an entertainment complex that includes an indoor and outdoor pavilion, two log cabins, a golf facility, and clay target shooting areas. These amenities have been a delight to thousands of visitors and surrounding neighbors. The game ranch is home to more than 1,200 exotic animals comprised of 38 different species from all over the world. These facilities have been used for a variety of public service and charitable events and meetings by the American Cancer Society, Easter Seals, the United Way, and others. TDS has never charged for the use of these facilities; rather they are made available on an invitation basis to worthy organizations as a 100% donation.  Since 2002 TDS has hosted nearly 1,300 events and helped raise over 12 million dollars for local non-profit organizations.  These community facilities can continue to be of use to the Central Texas community long after the landfill is full and closed.

TDS has taken great measures in landscaping the facility, already planting more than 1,000 trees, with plans to plant an additional 1,000 trees. The company also took the time to include design features such as a visual berm planted with grass and various types of trees to maintain an aesthetically pleasing appearance from the highway, while blocking the view of the operations. 30-foot tall litter fences incorporated into parts of the facility minimize the blowing any trash around the facility.

The TDS facilities demonstrate a sustainable business model, which provides a source of pride and economic development for both TDS and neighboring communities. With this site, TDS demonstrates that a major landfill can be a very good neighbor.

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