Mount Trashmore Settlement Limits Future Expansion but Allows Current Growth

Century Village East residents, who live just down Powerline Road from the Monarch Hill Landfill, are closely watching the outcome of a new legal settlement involving the City of Deerfield Beach, the City of Coconut Creek, and Waste Management. The agreement clears the way for Waste Management to proceed with an expansion already approved by the Broward County Commission earlier this year.

The Broward County plan allows the landfill to expand vertically by 100 feet and horizontally by 24 acres. That expansion will go forward under the settlement, but a key provision ensures that any future expansion beyond this footprint will require approval from both Deerfield Beach and Coconut Creek. For residents of nearby communities such as Century Village East, that stipulation means the landfill cannot grow indefinitely without local government consent.  The agreement requires the approval of the Broward County Board of Commissioners.

The agreement also requires Waste Management to begin closing the landfill in 25 years, once the additional capacity granted by the current expansion is reached. The settlement places a legally binding timeline on closure, something local governments had long sought after decades of disputes over the landfill’s size and environmental impact.

In addition to expansion limits and closure, Waste Management agreed to several community impact measures. These include enhanced odor control, continued groundwater monitoring, and funding for roadway litter cleanup. Both Coconut Creek and Deerfield Beach will receive $15,000 annually to help offset impacts of the landfill’s operations.

Reactions to the settlement have been mixed. Some leaders described the outcome as a compromise that secures at least some control over future growth, while others expressed disappointment that the current expansion could not be stopped.

For Century Village East residents, the settlement represents both relief and uncertainty. On one hand, there is now a clear legal limit on further expansion and a 25-year timeline for closure. On the other, the towering landfill—often referred to locally as “Mount Trashmore”—will continue to rise higher in the near term, with its impacts on traffic, odors, and the environment still felt daily in surrounding neighborhoods.

The settlement marks the conclusion of years of legal challenges between Waste Management and its municipal neighbors. While the landfill’s presence will remain for decades, the new terms ensure that Deerfield Beach and Coconut Creek will play a decisive role in determining its ultimate footprint and lifespan.