NASHVILLE, TN - Tennessee’s slow uptake of recycling is costing the state — in economic opportunity and dwindling landfill space — according to multiple presentations to the state’s newly formed Solid Waste Task Force.
With the bill filing deadline for the 2026 legislative session looming at the end of the month, the task force plans to draft a bill creating a waste diversion council that would assist Tennessee counties with finding ways to keep recyclable waste out of the state’s quickly-filling landfills and educate consumers about what they can recycle and where. Tennessee businesses have told lawmakers in previous meetings that they are willing to purchase more recycled aluminum and glass if Tennessee can collect, process and produce sufficient quantities of recycled material to make it worthwhile. Right now, the state’s recycling rate is too low.
NASHVILLE, TN - The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation has mapped polluted waterways across the state. Tennessee boasts about 60,000 miles of streams and rivers, along with 29 reservoir lakes. The state agency has been monitoring their water quality for decades and periodically releases new data. This year, about 19,000 miles of waterways are considered “impaired” with at least one form of pollution or an alteration to the flow of water.
https://wpln.org/post/new-map-shows-tennessees-polluted-waterways/
NASHVILLE, TN - State Rep. Bryan Terry, R-Murfreesboro, is throwing his support behind Murfreesboro’s legal challenge to Middle Point Landfill’s proposed expansion, a move that has stirred both courtroom action and county-level resolutions. At the heart of the dispute is a 627-page application submitted by BFI Waste Systems of Tennessee to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. The proposal seeks a 70-foot vertical expansion that would pile an additional 19 million tons of waste on top of the existing landfill.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — Murfreesboro and regional solid waste officials filed a lawsuit Tuesday to stop Middle Point Landfill's latest expansion request, claiming the operators violated state law by bypassing requirements for local approval. BFI Waste Systems of Tennessee submitted a 600-page major expansion application to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. The request includes increasing the landfill's height by about 70 feet, which could add 19 million tons of trash and extend the facility's life by another 14 years.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WGNS) — The City of Murfreesboro says BFI is attempting to bypass required state procedures by filing directly with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) for a major vertical expansion of the Middle Point Landfill. The proposal would add a 70-foot-tall landfill mound on top of the existing site, increasing capacity by an estimated 19 million tons of waste.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (Rutherford Source) — A major legal fight is underway in Rutherford County over a proposed expansion of the Middle Point Landfill, raising fresh concerns about environmental safety, public input, and the long-term impact on local communities.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (murfreesboro.gov) — BFI has chosen to attempt to circumvent the normal statutory and regulatory obligations required by law and has filed an application with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) for a significant vertical expansion of Middle Point Landfill. This vertical expansion requests placing a 70-foot high landfill on top of the existing landfill, adding an estimated 19 million tons of waste to the existing landfill. According to BFI’s projections, this would extend the site life of the landfill by an additional 14 years to 2046 and result in 39 percent more garbage being added to the landfill.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (Murfreesboro Post) — Lori Cummins lives about 3.5 miles from the Middle Point Landfill in Murfreesboro. “It’s a 12-minute drive,” she said. “I can still smell it.” The landfill recently received its 4,000th odor-related complaint, according to a news release from the City of Murfreesboro. “For the 4,000 that reported it, there have been many more who haven’t reported it,” Cummins said. “It wasn’t a breeze blowing through and dissipating quickly; it usually lasts for hours until the next morning.” The landfill has received seven environmental violations in the last year, according to the news release from the city.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (Murfreesboro Pulse) — As an Iraq veteran, there are certain things I have come to accept as potential triggers of the horrors of war: fireworks on the Fourth of July, construction blasting, even the occasional slam of a car door. Still, I feel at home in Murfreesboro, accompanied by nearly 30,000 brothers-in-arms. The sense of comradery and community mirrors the times in service I hold dear. One thing I did not expect to relive, however, is the rotten smell of hot garbage sticking to my shirt, a constant reminder of decomposition and chemicals. Thanks to Middle Point Landfill, every trip to the local Veterans’ Administration Medical Center holds the potential for that foul memory—and the health hazards that accompany it.
https://boropulse.com/2025/09/vets-leave-behind-burn-pits-to-come-home-to-landfill-gas/
MURFREESBORO, Tenn (WPLN) - Middle Point Landfill received seven violations from the state this year related to litter and liquid runoff.
In March, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation noted “major violations” in an inspection, due to poor maintenance of a system that handles leachate, the liquid byproduct from landfills that can be harmful, as well as litter control. The landfill received other warnings for “minor violations” between June and September this year.
Murfreesboro government notified Middle Point Landfill about more solid waste environmental violations, the city reported Oct. 27.The violations include leachate entering dry run-off ditches, according to the city. "The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation issued the most recent violation due to leachate entering dry run-off ditches on the east and west sides of the landfill property," Murfreesboro government spokesman Mike Browning said in a news release.
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation issued Republic Services’ Middle Point Landfill a notice of violation for leachate entering the facility’s runoff at the end of September, WZTV reported. It’s the landfill’s seventh environmental violation since March, according to the outlet.
The Middle Point Landfill in Tennessee has received another environmental violation, being the seventh time the site has been cited for compliance issues this year. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) conducted an inspection and found that leachate was entering dry runoff ditches on both the east and west sides of the property. Previously, a similar issue was discovered on the southern side of the landfill and was corrected 20 days earlier.
They say good fences make for good neighbors. While that may be true in some respects, I believe it takes a bit more. Values like honesty and integrity beat a good fence anytime. During the July 31 Murfreesboro City Council vote on a proposed settlement with the owners of Middle Point Landfill (Republic Services and BFI Waste Systems), there was a lot of talk about “good neighbors.” Even Middle Point's own website claims the company “strives to be a good neighbor.”
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/despite-promises-middle-point-landfill-100820794.html
The Murfreesboro City Council rejected the proposed settlement agreement with BFI Waste Systems and Republic Services related to the environmental impact of Middle Point Landfill at its July 31 meeting. The proposed settlement would have applied only to the landfill’s impact on air and water quality, not Republic/BFI’s desire to expand, according to a news release from the City.
In a separate vote at the meeting, the city council unanimously passed a resolution opposing any expansion of landfill capacity. That resolution includes expanding horizontally onto the closed Rutherford County landfill property or vertically, increasing the height to lengthen its lifetime.
https://mainstreetmediatn.com/articles/murfreesboropost/murfreesboro-rejects-landfill-settlement/
The Murfreesboro City Council agreed to annex Middle Point Landfill July 17 after all 10 public hearing speakers urged annexation. Annexation will give the city government a "seat at the table" to hold Middle Point accountable regarding better approaches for solid waste, such as recycling, suggested Candida Layne, a Murfreesboro chairwoman of the local chapter for SOCM (Statewide Organizing for Community Empowerment).
The proposed expansion of Middle Point Landfill faced opposition recently from seven out of 10 public comment speakers. Residents shared their views on the landfill expansion issue during a March 4 Rutherford County Commission Public Works and Planning Committee meeting. Shawn McGowan of north Murfreesboro questioned why county commissioners would want to allow Middle Point Landfill to expand for 50 more years.
The Calvert Street Group came under fire this week when Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland accused the prominent Nashville public relations firm of impersonating Murfreesboro residents at a town hall. Calvert was hired by waste management company Republic Services to advance a proposed expansion of Murfreesboro’s Middle Point Landfill, the latest chapter of Rutherford County’s ongoing trash drama.
A few Rutherford County Commissioners expressed strong differences of opinion regarding the proposed expansion of Middle Point landfill during the recent Public Works and Planning Committee meeting. Committee chairman Anthony Johnson and commissioners Craig Harris and Mike Kusch heatedly sparred over the future of the landfill this week.
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