Landfill and Balls Ford Road Are Destinations for Industry Tourists

In the solid waste industry, Prince William County facilities are popular destinations for industry managers, operations staff and policymakers. This fall, Sold Waste Division staff hosted Prince William County Landfill and Balls Ford Compost Facility tours coordinated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Composting Council (USCC), respectively.

On September 29, the Prince William County Landfill was visited by more than a dozen Global Methane, Climate and Clean Air Forum participants. The forum was a joint event sponsored by the Global Methane Initiative (GMI) and the Climate & Clean Air Coalition (CCAC). The forum brought together policymakers, industry leaders, technical experts and researchers from around the world to discuss opportunities to protect the climate and improve air quality with a special focus on methane. The EPA selected the Prince William County Landfill because of the reputation the facility has for its landfill gas (methane) to electricity program, operated by Opal Fuels through a public-private partnership. The landfill bus tour was led by Solid Waste Division staff.

On December 1, more than a dozen congressional and federal agency staff toured the Balls Ford Road Compost Facility. The USCC is lobbying the federal government to improve composting infrastructure across the U. S. and arranged a tour of Freestate Farms’ operations at the Balls Ford Road Compost Facility. Not only is the composting facility a great example of a state-of-the-art industrial facility, but its public-private partnership (PPP) structure between Prince William County and Freestate Farms is an important model for permitting, zoning and funding future U.S. composting facilities. The tour was led by Freestate Farms and Solid Waste Division staff and was an important highlight for the congressional and federal agency participants.