Broward County commissioners on Tuesday deferred a vote to expand the Monarch Hill landfill after hearing hours of impassioned pleas from residents against the plan.
Waste Management, which operates the landfill, says they need to increase the landfill's capacity to keep serving the county beyond 2030.
If the expansion is approved, the landfill will grow in size by 24 acres and be 100 feet taller.
Otherwise, Waste Management says it only has enough space for the next six years.
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The company says without the expansion, garbage will have to be transported to a landfill 96 miles away, costing Broward County residents an estimated $40 million per year.
"If the land use plan amendment and height variance are not approved, the landfill gas-to-energy plant at Monarch Hill, which currently powers 9,000 homes a day with renewable energy, will need to be taken down for additional landfill capacity," the company said.
Residents living on the north end of Broward County packed commission chambers Tuesday imploring leaders not to expand the landfill, which is located east of the Turnpike and Wiles Road.
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"How many of you have actually been to the top of Monarch mountain? You can see the ocean. Add another hundred feet, we'll see who's playing tennis at a resort in the Bahamas," said Deerfield Beach Commissioner Bernie Parness.
