The Buncombe County Solid Waste Management Facility is located in the mountains of
western North Carolina, approximately nine miles north of the City of Asheville. The 557‐
acre solid waste management facility opened in 1997 and comprises a
Subtitle D landfill, construction and demolition (C&D) landfill, wood waste mulching facility,
convenience center for residential drop‐off, a household hazardous waste (HHW) facility,
and a white goods and tires holding facility.
The Subtitle D landfill is 95 acres and consists of 10 disposal cells that are being constructed
sequentially over the estimated 30+ year life of the facility. Cells 1 and 2 were constructed
with a prescriptive RCRA Subtitle D liner system consisting of a 24” soil barrier layer with a
maximum permeability of 1x10‐7cm/sec, a 60‐mil high density polyethylene (HDPE) liner
and a 24‐inch rock drainage layer. Cells 3‐6 were constructed with an alternative liner
system that uses an 18‐inch soil barrier layer with a maximum permeability of 1x10‐
5cm/sec, a geosynthetic clay liner (GCL), a 60‐mil HDPE liner and a 24” rock drainage layer.
Cells 1‐5 are filled to capacity and Cell 6 has been the active disposal cell since 2006. Based
on current waste flows Cell 7 is expected to begin operation in 2015.