Talking Trash: Kinsley’s Role in Landfill Construction
Let’s face it. Most of us toss our garbage into the can and never think about it again. But the trash can is only the beginning of waste’s journey, and more often than not, it ultimately ends up in a landfill.
Landfills are highly engineered and tightly regulated sites where solid waste is carefully disposed of in layers to protect human health and the environment. In the U.S., around 146 million tons of municipal solid waste are landfilled each year. To manage this massive amount of material, landfills are divided into sections called cells. Each cell is constructed with multiple layers of protection, including geosynthetic clay liners, geomembranes, geotextiles, drainage gravel and leak detection systems. They also include leachate collection pipes, which capture liquid waste for treatment and reuse, and methane collection pipes, which prevent harmful greenhouse gas from entering the atmosphere while also offering a potential energy source.
Because of this complexity, landfill projects demand skilled, experienced contractors, like Kinsley Construction.
Breaking into the Waste Sector
In 2008, when the market crashed and construction work slowed, landfills continued to grow. That opportunity gave our Site team a foothold in the waste sector. We quickly excelled and, over the past two decades, have become one of the region’s most trusted landfill contractors.
Our services cover the full spectrum of landfill work, including:
- Landfill cells and caps
- Leachate and gas collection systems
- Mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls and berms
- Pump stations and related infrastructure
- Well drilling and gas piping
- Specialized landfill maintenance facilities
Unlike standard dirt jobs, landfill work comes with unique challenges due to the trash, gas and constant regulatory oversight. It’s not the kind of work every contractor takes on, but our teams have built a reputation for getting it done right.
Collaboration Across Divisions
It’s not just our Site team that tackles landfill projects. These efforts often call on the expertise of multiple divisions, highlighting our integrated approach.
Our Industrial Division often supports pump station, infrastructure and process piping work. For example, last year our Industrial crew fabricated and installed a series of solidification tanks at Modern Landfill to help process their RO leachate by-product. When the landfill decided to decommission that process, they called us back to relocate the tanks from the working face of the landfill to the bottom side for future use.
Our Building Division also contributed by constructing a 17,000-square-foot maintenance facility at Frey Farm Landfill. The Nucor pre-engineered metal building includes offices, maintenance and wash bays, employee amenities, storage areas and an overhead crane bay, creating a modern, full-service facility to support daily operations.
By working together, our teams create efficiencies for clients who need a contractor with expertise in every aspect of landfill construction.
Growing Careers from the Ground Up
Just as landfill projects demand specialized expertise, they also create meaningful opportunities for our people to grow. Many of our team members have built their careers in this sector, starting in entry-level roles and advancing as they gained hands-on experience.
For example, Site general superintendent Craig Martin began as a laborer and became a key leader on our landfill crews. Similarly, Site estimator Vince Micoli started as a junior estimator learning under senior staff and now leads landfill bids out of our Ephrata office.
Landfill work allows our employees to develop specialized skills, take on complex challenges and build long-term careers in an area of construction where expertise
truly matters.
Landfills may not be glamorous, but they’re essential. And for Kinsley Construction, they’ve become a cornerstone of our work, our growth and our reputation.
