Today, Brooks Landfill will close its gates. At 6 p.m., Brooks will accept the last truck through its gate to dump solid waste. That truck will belong to Mr. Gilbert F. Ballinger, who, 30 years ago, was the 40th person to drive into Brooks Landfill on its opening day.
Brooks Landfill was opened in the late 1960’s. The landfill received over 500,000 tons of trash on an average year from Wichita and Sedgwick County. A portion of the revenues from Brooks has been used to pay the cost of recycling and neighborhood clean-up programs.
The top of the landfill is the highest ground in Sedgwick County and from the bottom of the landfill to the top of the tallest cell is 120 feet. After its closure as a regular landfill, the site will have a top cap of plastic and a clay liner.
Brooks Landfill produces gas as the solid waste decays. The gas is collected and used as an energy source at the High Plains Ethanol Plant near Colwich. The landfill gas transmission line, over 11 miles long, is the longest in the United States.
The landfill has averaged over 600 visitors per year. These range from preschool age students to students in graduate environmental studies programs.
The landfill will continue to be monitored for a 30-year period after the last waste is received today. This will include testing of water and air samples to ensure the landfill is not contaminating the environment.
In a timely effort, the City of Wichita has launched the second phase of the anti-litter campaign, "Don’t Trash Wichita". It features a 6-week schedule of animated television ads and radio promotions. The TV spot features a "living blob" that devours everything it touches. The TV spot empowers Wichitans by telling them to "cram it" in the can. For more information on how you can help the "Don’t Trash Wichita" campaign, visit the City’s website at www.wichita.gov.