After the landfill closes, Sedgwick County will manage solid waste disposal. The county's plan is to have private companies operate transfer stations, where waste would be stored until it could be trucked to landfills elsewhere. City officials worried that they would have to stop the free cleanups or possibly raise taxes to pay for them after Brooks closes. He estimated the Brooks site has eight to 10 years of space left for construction and demolition waste, as long as the city diverts any large amounts of storm debris to another site near K-96 and Hillside Avenue. The new landfill would be open to the public.
City officials expect other construction and demolition landfills to open.
Exact fees will be determined after the competition is established, Lackey said. Sedgwick County officials had considered a county-operated landfill but decided the private sector could handle the waste, said Andy Schlapp, solid waste project manager for the county.