What does the revised Green Ridge host agreement say? Pt. I

Published 12:08 am Thursday, July 24, 2025

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One week before the public hearing on the Green Ridge landfill, the amended host agreement and conditional use permit have been released. Cumberland officials posted the documents on the county’s website, detailing the changes in what will be considered next Monday.

The previous conditional use permit for the project, originally approved in 2018, expired in June without any construction done over that seven-year period. This is for a new one to replace it, which would allow 104 acres out of the 1,177 acre site to be available for active dumping.

Originally, a public hearing on the Green Ridge project was set for June. However, Cumberland officials postponed it, saying that negotiations were still ongoing as far as what the conditional use permit and host agreement would include. Now we get an idea of what came out of those negotiations.

That starts off with a $200,000 fee, set to be paid by Green Ridge within 90 days after receiving a final conditional use permit to construct and operate the landfill. In the amended host agreement, county officials state this is to pay back Cumberland for the costs incurred as a result of this project.

“The purpose of this payment is to defray the costs and expenses incurred by the County in connection with the negotiation and execution of this Agreement and other matters related to this Agreement, the zoning and permitting processes related to the approval of the Landfill, the permitting process with VDEQ related to the approval of the Permit, and the construction of the Landfill,” the amended host agreement states.

What else is on the table?

So if approved, Cumberland would be paid back $200,000 to start. There’s another clause put in place that gives Green Ridge a bit of a ticking clock. If Green Ridge does not begin operation of the landfill within three years after all necessary permits have been issued, the company will be required to pay Cumberland $1 million as a delay fee.

Now, to be clear, this means three years after getting the conditional use permit, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality air permit and all needed permits from VDOT (The Virginia Department of Transportation). Once all of those permits have been acquired, the company will have three years to open the facility. If they can’t meet that deadline, they will owe a delay fee.

Now if after two years of getting all the permits, Green Ridge decides to terminate the agreement, they have that right. However, in order to do that, they have to first notify the county and second, pay Cumberland $1 million within 180 days of sending that notification.

“Payment of the delay fee, if applicable, and the termination fee are separate and distinct obligations of Green Ridge that must be met before termination of this Agreement is effective,” the host agreement states.

What about Green Ridge host fees?

But let’s say the permits get approved and the landfill opens. The updated host agreement has several things put in place, both financial and as required safeguards.

First off, Green Ridge has already prepaid $400,000 in host fees to Cumberland. Regardless of what happens, “this prepayment is irrevocable and is not subject to repayment or credit toward future earned host fees,”

Now in terms of a yearly host fee, that’s spelled out too. The base, the minimum guaranteed, is $400,000 each year. The county will receive at least this amount, regardless of how much trash comes in. And that guaranteed minimum will increase on July 1 of each year by 3%. If or when the landfill starts operating, Green Ridge will pay Cumberland a host fee of $1.65 per ton for each ton of solid waste accepted at the landfill. If the landfill has taken in more than 3,500 tons a day on average during a month, then the county gets an extra $1.25 per ton.

This host fee is also set to go up annually, at a rate of 3%. As a sidenote, in the agreement, Cumberland says it shall set aside 10 cents per ton of the host fee for “the operation, maintenance, and capital expenditures associated with the Luther P. Jackson County Complex as deemed appropriate by the Board of Supervisors.”

In addition, while the landfill is running, every year on the anniversary of the first day of operation, Green Ridge will pay Cumberland a fee to be used for “education, recreation, public safety and economic development.” That would be $50,000 the first year and then increase by 3% each year after that.

As one final bit of revenue, the host agreement says in the event that Green Ridge sells any methane gas generated at the landfill or any other energy resources created there, Cumberland “shall receive a royalty equal to 10% of the gross revenues of any sale received by Green Ridge or any of its affiliates.” In addition, Green Ridge agrees to pay Cumberland 10% of all gross receipts generated “directly or indirectly through the sale or use of methane generated at the landfill, including, without limitation, uses for sale of tax credits and emissions offsets.”

What about traffic?

The numbers detailed in the amended host agreement promise significant hauling traffic, both on Route 60 and Route 654. According to the document “the anticipated approximately daily traffic volume is expected to be 75 to 175 trucks with 20 tons of waste.” It also anticipates a heavy bit of traffic for local daytime trucks and local convenience center trips. Those are anticipated to be approximately between 72 to 303 trips per day.

With that in mind, does the host agreement require limits? Yes, it does. Except upon county approval, “Green Ridge shall not accept for disposal any more than an average of 3,500 tons of solid waste per day during any weekly period beginning on Monday and ending the immediately following Sunday.”

Now that amount can be increased with the approval of the Cumberland Board of supervisors through an amendment.

What happens next for Green Ridge?

We’ll continue going through the host agreement and conditional use permit in Friday’s edition. Meanwhile, a public hearing is scheduled for Monday, July 28 at the Cumberland Middle School Cafetorium. That’s located at 15 School Street and the hearing begins at 7 p.m.