Stanislaus County supervisors on Tuesday heard how the shutdown of the county’s waste‑to‑energy plant has reshaped operations at the Fink Road Landfill, where daily trash intake has doubled and long‑term expansion plans are now accelerating.
The Department of Environmental Resources presented an update on the fallout from the December 2024 closure of the Reworld (formerly Covanta) facility, which for decades burned a large share of the county’s municipal waste. Without the plant’s ability to reduce trash volume, landfill crews have been forced to absorb significantly more material each day.
County staff say the increased intake has shortened the projected lifespan of the landfill’s current disposal cells from 2051 to between 2037 and 2041. The more likely estimate is 2041, driven by how quickly remaining airspace is being consumed.
To slow that pace, landfill crews have adopted efficiency measures such as using tarps instead of soil for daily cover and applying detailed fill‑sequence planning. Those steps have pushed the landfill’s compaction rate to 0.77 tons per cubic yard — well above the industry average of 0.65 — allowing more waste to fit into the same footprint.
Even with improved efficiency, staff say long‑term sustainability will require continued investment in recycling and diversion programs to reduce the amount of material headed to Fink Road.
The county is preparing for several major phases of expansion. Cell 7 is planned north of the former waste‑to‑energy site, followed by infill and vertical expansion between Landfill 1 and Landfill 2. Portions of Landfill 3, currently permitted for ash disposal, may be converted to municipal solid waste. Once the existing footprint is fully built out, expansion would move westward.
The former waste‑to‑energy site itself is slated for redevelopment, including a maintenance shop for the landfill’s heavy equipment fleet, an administration building and a household hazardous waste collection area. Some existing structures — such as the tipping floor, loading docks and warehouse — will be retained for ongoing operations. Demolition of the shuttered plant is expected to finish by September 2026.
Tuesday’s presentation was informational only. Staff plan to return at a later date seeking formal approval for any long‑term development proposals.
