At the Tuesday, March 3 meeting, the Atlantic County Board of Commissioners voted to amend the county’s Solid Waste Management Plan. The amendment permits both a lateral and vertical expansion of the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) landfill at the Howard “Fritz” Haneman Environmental Park in Egg Harbor Township.
The Atlantic County Solid Waste Advisory Council approved the amended plan in January. Now, it will move forward to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for final review and approval.
The modification includes filling a 5.74-acre space between two existing landfill sections and increasing the maximum permitted height by 40 feet.
According to county and ACUA documents, approximately 4.9 million cubic yards of disposal capacity will be added, bringing the landfill’s total capacity to about 18.97 million cubic yards and extending the landfill’s operational life 11 years, from 2029 to 2040.
The expansion is designed to maintain local disposal capacity and stabilize waste costs for municipalities, residents and businesses throughout Atlantic County.
ACUA President Matthew DeNafo said in a Feb. 17 press release that the modification would allow the authority to “fully optimize our existing solid waste infrastructure” while ensuring environmentally responsible operations.
Atlantic County generates roughly 2 million pounds of trash per day, according to the ACUA.
Without the modification, officials say the landfill would reach capacity in 2029, potentially requiring waste to be transported out of the county — a move ACUA says would increase disposal rates and create additional transportation emissions.
The ACUA landfill, which opened in 1990, was built to replace multiple unlined, privately owned dumps. It operates with a double-lined system, leachate collection and environmental monitoring safeguards.
The authority has invested more than $22 million in its landfill gas collection and control system, including nearly $8 million over the past two years, reporting a 98% reduction in odor complaints between 2023 and 2025.
“ACUA remains dedicated to exploring and implementing new technologies that will improve our operations, reduce our impact on the community and protect the surrounding environment,” said DeNafo in the Feb. 17 release.
The ACUA is the first publicly owned landfill in New Jersey to implement a Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) facility — which captures methane from the landfill and converts it into usable renewable energy.
Officials have said those energy systems would remain operational within the proposed expansion area if the project proceeds.
Additionally, ACUA is advancing waste conversion technologies aimed at turning solid waste into a viable energy source and creating a more sustainable, long-term waste management strategy. Among the options are pyrolysis paired with anaerobic digestion, plasma gasification and advanced mechanical separation, according to the authority’s website.
ACUA said it is also strengthening its waste reduction initiatives through expanded recycling programs, increased composting efforts and additional reuse opportunities, further emphasizing its goal of diverting more waste away from the landfill altogether.
For now, county officials say the proposed expansion represents the most cost-effective and environmentally controlled option to manage Atlantic County’s waste stream beyond 2029.
Julia graduated from Rider University in 2024 with a BA in multiplatform journalism and minor in social media strategies. In addition to reporting on local news for Shore Local, she is a social media strategist for small businesses. Connect with her: shorelocaljulia@gmail.com or @juliatrain on Instagram.
