MORE DETAILS: MURFREESBORO, TN — A significant legal hurdle has been placed in the path of landfill operators seeking to grow the state's largest waste site. On February 10, 2026, the Chancery Court of Davidson County issued a writ of mandamus, ordering state regulators to immediately cease the processing of a vertical expansion application for the Middle Point Landfill.
The ruling comes after the City of Murfreesboro filed a lawsuit in December 2025, alleging that landfill owner BFI Waste Systems (a subsidiary of Republic Services) attempted to "leapfrog" local authority. By filing directly with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), the city argued that BFI bypassed the required review by the Central Tennessee Regional Solid Waste Planning Board, effectively silencing local residents.
Heightened Concerns: Birds and Biplane Safety
During a broadcast on WGNS, Mayor Shane McFarland highlighted that the proposed expansion wasn't just a matter of capacity, but of public safety. The plan sought to add 19 million tons of waste by increasing the landfill’s height by 70 feet.
One of the more unique arguments against the height increase involves aviation. The landfill sits directly under the south approach of the Murfreesboro Airport. Mayor McFarland and State Representative Bryan Terry noted that a taller landfill creates stronger thermal updrafts from decomposing waste and methane. These thermals attract vultures and buzzards, placing thousands of birds directly in the flight path of pilots and MTSU flight students.
Environmental Stakes: Odor and "Forever Chemicals"
The city's opposition is rooted in a long history of environmental friction. Middle Point has been hit with numerous violations in recent years, and a public portal has logged over 4,000 odor complaints from residents. More alarming are the results of leachate testing, which have shown discharges of PFAS—often called "forever chemicals"—into the East Fork Stones River, a primary drinking water source for the county...
Mayor McFarland said that the City takes their drinking water very serious, and also stated...
The Path Forward
While the court order halts the expansion "for now," the war over Middle Tennessee’s trash is far from over. Mayor McFarland emphasized that the city is pursuing waste independence, including the construction of a new transfer station on Butler Drive to reduce reliance on the Middle Point site.
"We’ve done our part for 40 years taking everyone else's trash," McFarland stated. "It’s time for someone else to step up".
