A Davidson County Chancery Court judge has granted the City of Murfreesboro a writ of mandamus ordering the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) to cease processing an application for a vertical expansion of the Middle Point Landfill.
The ruling, issued Monday by Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea L. Myles, stops TDEC’s review of Republic Services subsidiary BFI’s proposal to build a 70-foot-high expansion on top of the existing landfill.
The proposed expansion would add an estimated 19 million tons of waste to Middle Point, according to the City of Murfreesboro.
Murfreesboro filed suit in December, arguing that BFI attempted to bypass the required review process under the Solid Waste Management Act.
City officials contended that before submitting an application to TDEC, BFI must first present its proposal to the regional solid waste board for local review, including a public hearing that allows for citizen input.
Media Release 2/1/2026 pic.twitter.com/dUbTasMMEz
— Rutherford County TN (@RutherfordTn) February 11, 2026
After reviewing the City’s complaint, the court directed TDEC to halt its review until those statutory requirements are met.
Rutherford County Mayor Joe Carr (pictured above, right) congratulated Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland (pictured above, left) and the City Council following the court’s decision.
“I want to congratulate the courage and leadership of Mayor Shane McFarland and the Murfreesboro City Council,” Carr said in a statement. “They have always put the health, safety and wellbeing of our community first.”
Carr said the county is “grateful and not surprised” by the court’s order and reiterated that Rutherford County remains firmly opposed to any expansion of Middle Point Landfill.
“Rutherford County is adamantly opposed to any expansion of Middle Point Landfill, and we will fight it vigorously,” Carr added. “Once again, with the law and the facts on our side we will always ultimately prevail.”
The proposed expansion follows ongoing concerns raised by the City regarding the landfill’s environmental impact. In a pending federal lawsuit against Republic and BFI, Murfreesboro has alleged continued violations of the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act.
According to the City, testing has shown continued discharges of landfill leachate into the East Fork Stones River, a drinking water source for Rutherford County and Murfreesboro residents.
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
