1403_INSP_20230525

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 1 of 3

UNIT TYPE:
Lined
MSWLF X LCID YW Transfer Compost SLAS COUNTY: Caldwell
Closed
MSWLF HHW White
goods X Incin T&P X FIRM PERMIT NO.: 1403-MSWLF-1998
CDLF Tire T&P / Collection X Tire Monofill Industrial Landfill DEMO SDTF FILE TYPE: COMPLIANCE

Date of Site Inspection: May 25, 2023 Date of Last Inspection: November 4, 2022

FACILITY NAME AND ADDRESS:
Foothills Regional Landfill
2800 Cheraw Road
Lenoir, North Carolina 28645

GPS COORDINATES (decimal degrees): Lat.: 35.91531 Long.: -81.59568

FACILITY CONTACT NAME AND PHONE NUMBER:
Owner: Caldwell County
Contact: Donald E. Duncan Jr., County Manager
Telephone: [phone]
Email address: [e-mail]

Operator: Republic Services of North Carolina, LLC d.b.a. Foothills Regional Landfill
Contact: Steven Hunter, Operations Manager – Foothills Regional Landfill
Telephone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

FACILITY CONTACT ADDRESS:
Donald E. Duncan Jr., Caldwell County Manager
Post Office Box 2200
Lenior, North Carolina 28645

CT Corporation System, Registered Agent
Republic Services of North Carolina, LLC d.b.a. Foothills Regional Landfill
150 Fayetteville Street, Box 1011
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601

PARTICIPANTS:
Stephen Hunter, Operations Manager – Republic Services of NC, LLC
Mitchael Ogle, Operations Supervisor – Republic Services of NC, LLC
Stoddard Pickrell, Environmental Manager – Republic Services of NC, LLC
Charles Gerstell, NCDEQ – Solid Waste Section

STATUS OF PERMIT:
A Permit Approval to Construct MSW Landfill Phase 5 and a Permit Approval to Operate MSW Landfill Phases 1 – 4
and Phase 5, Cell 6A and a Landfill Gas to Energy System was issued to Caldwell County (Owner) and Republic
Services of North Carolina, LLC (Operator) d.b.a Foothills Regional Landfill on November 24, 2021.

PURPOSE OF SITE VISIT:
Partial Inspection

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 2 of 3

STATUS OF PAST NOTED VIOLATIONS:
N/A

OBSERVED VIOLATIONS:
None

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

1. The facility consists of a lined MSWLF, Tire Management Area, White Goods area, and Mulching and Grinding
Area.
2. This was a partial inspection to observe the operations of the facility.
3. The facility had proper signage.
4. A gate was provided at the entrance to the facility to prevent unauthorized access.

Operations Inspection of the MSWLF Unit:

5. Waste was being placed in Cell 6A at the time of inspection.
6. Construction of Cell 6B had commenced and was in the early stages of soil and rock removal.
7. The working face was large but of manageable size at the time of inspection. The portions of the working face not
actively receiving waste were covered with Posi-Shell which was well applied.
8. One tire was observed at the toe of the working slope during the inspection. Mr. Hunter immediately contacted
staff to have the tire removed. No other unacceptable wastes were observed.
9. Previously, a separate working face was used for small residential loads. However, only one working face was in
use at the time of the inspection.
10. Inactive portions of the landfill were covered with soil at the time of inspection.
11. Windblown waste was well managed at the time of inspection. Facility staff were actively picking up windblown
material at the time of inspection.
12. During the previous inspection, multiple edge-of-liner markers were obstructed by tall vegetation along the
southern edge of the landfill near the access road. Inspection on May 25, 2023 found vegetation had been cut back
from around the markers.

Inspection of the Tire Collection Area:

13. Tires were being collected in multiple covered trailers located west of the scale house.
14. All tires were being maintained within the designated trailers at the time of inspection.

Inspection of the White Goods Area:

15. White goods containing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are collected on a concrete pad west of the scale house
adjacent to the tire collection area.
16. Once CFCs are removed, the white goods are placed on the metal pile which is also located on the concrete pad
separated by concrete buttresses.
17. All white goods containing CFCs were maintained in an upright condition a the time of inspection.

The item(s) listed above were observed by Section staff and require action on behalf of the facility in order to come into or maintain compliance
with the Statutes, Rules, and/or other regulatory requirements applicable to this facility. Be advised that pursuant to N.C.G.S. 130A-22, an
administrative penalty of up to $15,000 per day may be assessed for each violation of the Solid Waste Laws, Regulations, Conditions of a Permit,
or Order under Article 9 of Chapter 130A of the N.C. General Statutes. Further, the facility and/or all responsible parties may also be subject to
enforcement actions including penalties, injunction from operation of a solid waste management facility or a solid waste collection service and any
such further relief as may be necessary to achieve compliance with the North Carolina Solid Waste Management Act and Rules.
FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 3 of 3

Inspection of the Grinding Area:

18. The grinding area is located on the south side of the landfill, just east of the leachate tanks.
19. The collection area is bordered by gravel berm along the top of the slope.
x The previous inspection found waste had been placed beyond the gravel berm and was beginning to extend
onto the vegetated slope above the wet detention basin No. 5. It was requested that all debris be
maintained to the top of the slope to prevent additional placement of material on the slope above the basin.
x It appeared during the May 25, 2023 inspection that waste had been removed from the slope above wet
detention basin No. 5. It appeared that waste was being maintained inside the gravel berm at the top of the
slope. Please continue to keep all material within the designated area.
20. Inspection found a large stockpile of land clearing debris and pallets. Multiple piles of leaves were also observed
on site.
x The approved Operations Plan for the facility notes yard debris is either removed by a third-party
contractor or may also be ground up and mixed with soils as a soil amendment. Please ensure that ground
material is used only as described in the approved Operations Plan.

Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding this inspection report.

________________________________________ Phone: [phone]
Charles T. Gerstell
Environmental Senior Specialist
Regional Representative

Sent on: 6/12/23 X Email Hand delivery US Mail Certified No. [ _]

Copies: Deb Aja, Western District Supervisor - Solid Waste Section
Digitally signed by Charles T. Gerstell
DN: cn=Charles T. Gerstell, o=Division of Waste
Management, ou=Solid Waste Section,
email=[e-mail], c=US
Date: 2023.06.12 14:21:56 -04'00'