Waste Management is imploding unused incinerator structures in unincorporated Broward near Coconut Creek on Friday to make way for a possible landfill expansion.
Nearby cities are warning residents to stay inside Friday morning once the planned implosion begins.
Its demolition contractor, BG Group, “tells us it will be a series of small explosions and should be done in less than five seconds,” said Waste Management spokeswoman Dawn McCormick.
Some of the rubble of metal and concrete will be recycled. The residue, however, will go into the landfill.
This 24-acre parcel could be used for additional landfill if it’s ultimately approved by the Broward County Commission.
Waste Management is pushing for the expansion at the Monarch Hill Renewable Energy Park, located at 2700 Wiles Road, to grow both taller and wider. It wants to convert the former Wheelabrator North waste-to-energy incinerator’s approximate 24.2 acres to additional landfill space, which would be a 5.6% increase.
The waste-to-energy facility that burned waste was shut down in 2015, blaming a lack of trash when 10 Broward cities decided to go to a location in central Florida for waste disposal.
Crews have been taking the building down in pieces since January and an emissions “stack” with a chimney, and other support structure, is still standing. It is that unused section where the concrete and metal pieces will come down that would allow the landfill to grow wider at the bottom, if approved.
The hearing before the county commission to approve any expansion is expected in either August or September, and Waste Management has warned if it doesn’t get approval, it will be forced to truck garbage elsewhere, which will come at a price increase for residents.
It says it needs the expansion because there is just about six years left before the landfill is at capacity. The two expansions at the Monarch Hill landfill is expected to extend its use for 16 additional years.
The site is on private property and the implosion is closed to on-site public viewing.
But residents will be impacted: Wiles Road will be closed from Powerline Road to the Florida Turnpike from 9:30 a.m. to about 10:30 a.m., according to Waste Management.
Nearby Coconut Creek City Hall, however, warned its residents to be prepared for a shutdown up to two hours.
The noise will be minimal: “The specialist handling the implosion states it will be no louder than a thunderstorm during the time of the implosion,” said city spokeswoman Yvonne Lopez.
But nearby Deerfield Beach City Hall has warned its residents of “heavy dust in the block immediately surrounding the demolition site.” Because dust may also drift, they are asking residents to stay indoors during the demolition.
“Dust is an unpreventable byproduct of all types of demolition,” the city wrote in a newsletter. An implosion may linger in the general area for as long as six minutes before crews begin cleaning the streets and sidewalks, the city warns.
“Depending on wind speed and direction on the day of the implosion, the dust may or may not reach your properties. As a precautionary measure, we recommend that you see that all windows, doors, and air intakes are closed and cover any other openings that might allow dust to enter your apartment, house, or building. We also recommend that you turn off all exhaust fans before or at the time of the implosion, as these might draw air into your building through cracks in walls and windows.”
Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.com. Follow on X, formerly Twitter, @LisaHuriash