Broward County Moves to Stack 'Mount Trashmore' Even Higher—Residents Left Gasping in Rage
In a move that has left residents furious, the Broward County Commission is barreling forward with plans to expand the controversial Monarch Hill Landfill, setting a public hearing for November 12, 2024, where residents will have to make their voices heard to prevent the landfill from towering even higher over their communities.
Despite vocal objections from neighborhoods in Deerfield Beach, Coconut Creek, and other surrounding areas, Waste Management’s (WM) proposal has garnered support from several commissioners, while only Commissioner Mark Bogen, representing the impacted districts, opposed the move.
Under the plan, Waste Management aims to extend the landfill’s capacity for 16 more years and increase its height by a staggering 100 feet, pushing it to 325 feet—a change that nearby residents argue will intensify existing issues like foul air, water pollution, litter, and constant noise. For years, residents have been outspoken about the landfill’s impact on their quality of life, dubbing it “Mount Trashmore” due to the unpleasant odor that pervades the air and the sight of trucks perpetually hauling trash through their neighborhoods.
Village residents are being encouraged to attend the hearing in large numbers to oppose the move. The City of Deerfield Beach as well other organizations have talked about providing buses to transport village residents to the hearing. No details have been finalized.
The possible expansion of ‘Mount Trashmore’ is just the latest project near the village that some say threatens the village’s quality of life. The expansion of SW 10th Street has also been cited as possibly negatively impacting the village.
Coconut Creek Mayor Joshua Rydell, a fierce opponent of the plan, is mobilizing the community to speak out at the upcoming hearing, denouncing the commission’s willingness to prioritize industrial expansion over residents’ health and safety. Deerfield Beach residents are equally outraged, with concerns that the expansion will harm local aquifers and continue damaging environmental quality in an area where recycling options have already been limited due to financial pressure.
The proposed changes require a Land Use Plan Amendment to convert adjacent land into new dumping space and a zoning change to permit the height increase. While Waste Management argues that expanding Monarch Hill will avoid the need to haul waste to distant landfills, many residents feel the company’s profit motives are overriding their rights to a healthy, safe environment.
As the public hearing approaches, citizens are preparing to confront the commission, determined to halt the expansion that many feel will doom the area to years of environmental and quality-of-life degradation.
