RATIONALE FOR TRANSFER AND REISSUANCE
Waste Pro Meridian Landfill I, LLC
SOWACO Class I Rubbish Site 
Lauderdale County
Solid Waste Permit No. SW0380020515
Initial Application Date: July 14, 2025

I.	FACILITY INFORMATION

Facility Owner: 	Waste Pro Meridian Landfill I, LLC
Facility Name:  	SOWACO Class I Rubbish Site 
Facility Address:	2601 Anderson Road
Meridian, MS 39302    
Permit No.:		SW0380020515
SIC Code:		4953
Permit Writer:		Ross D. Williams, RPG 
Waste Division:	Permitting Branch

II.	NATURE OF BUSINESS AND CURRENT CONDITIONS

Waste Pro Meridian Landfill II, LLC currently owns and operates the Waste Pro Meridian I Rubbish Site.  The site was originally owned by Southern Waste Disposal Services and received a Class I Rubbish Certificate of Coverage (R1-050) under the Class I General Permit on May 12, 1998. The site was re-permitted on August 24, 1999, receiving a new Certificate of Coverage (R1-065). The rubbish site was re-permitted on April 13, 2004, receiving an individual solid waste permit, SW0380020515.  The permit was transferred to Waste Pro Meridian Landfill II, LLC on June 11, 2010, and re-permitted on February 25, 2016.

III.	PROPOSED PERMITTING ACTION(S)

The applicant has submitted a permit renewal application for the continued operation and minor modification of the Class I Rubbish Site.  The proposed modification includes a minor acreage reduction of 0.03 acres, decreasing the total approved disposal area from 42.26 to 42.23 acres.  The minor acreage reduction is for the purpose of accommodating storm water run-off near the southwest corner of the permitted disposal area.  

Additionally, Waste Pro has requested a transfer/name change  that transfers the ownership of the rubbish site to Waste Pro Meridian Landfill I, LLC and changes the name from Waste Pro Meridian 1 Rubbish Site to the SOWACO Class I Rubbish Site (SOWACO).  The site will continue to operate under Solid Waste Management Permit No. SW0380020515.

IV.	LOCATION AND TOTAL PROPERTY AREA

The 93.36-acre parcel on which the facility is located is in Section 30, Township 6 North, Range 16 East, of Lauderdale County. The physical address of the facility is 2601 Anderson Road in Meridian, Mississippi. The total proposed disposal area is 42.23 acres.

V.	LOCAL SOLID WASTE PLANNING AND ZONING INFORMATION

The proposed permit action is consistent with the Lauderdale County Solid Waste Management Plan (Plan). On August 15, 2022, the Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors adopted a local resolution approving the Plan, which recognized up to 42 total acres for the site. The Mississippi Commission on Environmental Quality (Commission) issued Administrative Order No. 7303 24 on January 29, 2024, approving the portion of the plan related to site. By letter dated July 8, 2025, the Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors indicated that there are no local zoning or ordinance restrictions in the County.

VI.	APPROVED SERVICE AREA

The Lauderdale County Solid Waste Management Plan (Plan) also includes an approved service area for the SOWACO Class I Rubbish Site, as approved by the Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors. The approved service area includes the City of Meridian, Lauderdale County, and within a 50-mile radius of the incorporation limits of the City of Meridian.

VII.	SITING CRITERIA

The applicant has previously demonstrated compliance with the minimum siting criteria established in the Mississippi Nonhazardous Solid Waste Management Regulations for the operation of a class I rubbish site. The solid waste application includes no new siting variances. Buffer distances from disposal area to property line are:

North: Greater than 500 feet.
South, East, and West: 150 feet, as allowed by regulation where suitable visual screening (natural vegetation, fences, or topography) exists and is maintained. .

VIII.	GEOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The site is located in the surface outcrop of the Wilcox Formation of the Eocene Series.  This geologic formation is typically referred to as irregularly bedded fine to coarse sands and silty sands, clays, lignitic clays, and lignites. 

Two major hydrogeologic investigations have been completed at the site.  The initial geologic investigation occurred in 1994 with original permitting of the site.  Seven soil borings were completed at that time, B-1 through B-7.  Total depths ranged from 13 to 100 feet below ground surface (bgs). Two of the soil borings (B-1 and B-3) were converted to temporary piezometers, both indicating groundwater at 3 feet bgs.  This groundwater was considered perched, and not part of an aquifer system. Three soil samples were selected for hydraulic conductivity/permeability analysis. One each from B-6 and B-7 with hydraulic conductivities/permeabilities of 1.5 x 10ˉ⁷centimeters per second (cm/sec) and 1.4 x 10ˉ⁷cm/sec, respectively. 

The second hydrogeologic investigation was completed in August 2002. Fourteen soil borings were completed during this field exercise, with total depths of these soil borings ranging from 5 to 60 feet bgs.  Groundwater was observed at depths ranging from 5.3 to 22 feet bgs in the soil borings and was classified as perched groundwater in zones with a higher sand content. Nine soil samples were selected for hydraulic conductivity/permeability analysis.  Hydraulic conductivity/permeability analysis results range from1.6 x 10ˉ⁷cm/sec to <1x10ˉ⁹cm/sec. 

IX.	LINER SYSTEM

The applicant has proposed a design for the landfill liner system in accordance with the Mississippi Nonhazardous Solid Waste Management Regulations. A five-foot in-situ natural geologic liner, in combination with a limited constructed clay liner system, will be used for further disposal cell development. The designed top of floor liner elevation (constructed or naturally occurring) slopes with depth from an approximate elevation from 387 feet msl to 475 feet msl, west to east. Internal sidewalls will be constructed with a minimum 3(H) to 1(V), 3:1, slope. An approved construction quality assurance/quality control plan has been submitted and approved for the development and construction of the liner system. A two-foot-thick constructed clay liner with a minimum hydraulic conductivity of 1 x 10ˉ⁷cm/sec will be required in areas that do not have a suitable natural liner.

X.	HOURS OF OPERATION AND SITE SECURITY

The SOWACO Class I Rubbish Site normal hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 7 am to 4 pm.  The Site will be closed on Saturdays and Sundays. The disposal site reserves the right to remain open 24 hours per day seven days a week if needed during emergency situations such as a natural disaster or during short-term surges in waste disposal needs. A notification will be submitted to MDEQ when the need arises to remain open outside of normal operating hours.  

Access to the site is restricted due to the natural topography of the site and a gate, locked at all times personnel are not present, at the entrance to Anderson Road.

XI.	WASTE ACCEPTANCE

The SOWACO Class I Rubbish Site will continue to accept and dispose of authorized, non-hazardous class I rubbish waste as defined by the regulations. The applicant estimates an average incoming waste tonnage of approximately 250 cubic yards per day (yds³/day), or approximately 150 tons per day.

XII.	WASTE COVER SCHEDULE

A minimum of six inches of soil cover is applied to the exposed working face every other Friday, in accordance with the approved plan of operations.
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XIII.	FINAL COVER SYSTEM AND HEIGHT 

Upon closure, a final cover system must be constructed in accordance with State Regulations and the approved closure plan. An updated closure plan describing the final cover system must be submitted and approved by MDEQ prior to beginning final closure activities. The disposal facility’s final cover system will consist of (from bottom up) an optional 6-inch cover layer, an 18” infiltration layer with a permeability less than or equal to 1.0 x 10ˉ⁵ cm/sec and a 6-inch erosion layer capable of supporting vegetative cover. Exterior side slopes will be 4H:1V with a minimum 4 % crown. The final design height which includes the final cover system will not exceed 583 feet. Results of slope stability studies indicate a design factor of safety of 1.727 for worst case scenario.

XIV.	APPLICANT DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

In accordance with State Law, the applicant filed a disclosure statement describing the company’s structure, key officers and members, other affiliated businesses and any civil or criminal violations. Waste Pro of Meridian Landfill I, LLC, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Waste Pro of Mississippi, Inc.  The disclosure statement for Waste Pro was reviewed by the MDEQ Legal Division and determined to be completed on March 11, 2026. 

XV.	FACILITY CONTACT INFORMATION

Robert “Bob” Shoots, Regional Post Collection Manager
4205 Beasley Road
Gautier, MS 39553

Tele: (228) 818-5393
Work Cell: (225) 436-2538
Email: rshoots@wasteprousa.com

XVI.	OPERATOR CERTIFICATION

William “Bo” Wright, Certification No. RSO-302, expiration February 28, 2027

XVII.	OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

The disposal facility maintains stormwater coverage, MSR002245, under Mississippi’s Industrial Storm Water General NPDES Permit.