Please check with TDEC or your local county to verify whether you are protected.
And Now A Word From Our Sponsors...
What can you get done during a change of possession during a UT or Vandy game? In Cheatham County's case, you can protect your community from other people's garbage.
On October 20, at the Cheatham County Commissioners meeting, something remarkable happened. County Attorney Michael Bligh stood up at 26:35 (if you're watching the county's YouTube recording) and presented a resolution to adopt the Jackson Law along with a quick background of why this is the right decision for Cheatham county. Just two minutes after he began speaking—commissioners had voted 12-0 in favor.
Two minutes. That's all it took for Cheatham County to claim its seat at the table when it comes to landfill decisions.
(The Jackson Law is statewide legislation that gives counties and cities the right to make local decisions about landfill siting in their districts and within a mile of their borders.)
Why This Matters
When it comes to the Jackson Law, here’s why there wasn’t any debate: adopting it is pure common sense. Without it, only TDEC gets to decide if a landfill sets up shop in your backyard. With it, your county commissioners become part of that approval process.
If Cheatham County wants a landfill—along with the truck traffic, stench, scattered debris, plummeting property values and risks to local water—that's their call. But at least now LOCALS have a choice.
120 seconds, months in the making
This unanimous vote didn't just materialize from thin air. Perhaps commissioners heard about a Chamber of Commerce event in June where a landfill industry rep from Republic Services sold the 'economic opportunities’ of landfills in rural Tennessee. Our LOCAL campaign (Let Our Communities Act Locally) could have added some momentum, giving community members and electeds the knowledge and toolkit that they needed.
But the most important factor is always the community voices speaking up. Shirley Moulton, our October Volunteer of the Month, told me at our Chapter Retreat that she's been advocating with her county mayor, commissioners and state legislators about both the Tennessee Waste to Jobs Act and the Jackson Law. Shirley and her neighbors already scored a victory against TVA's proposed methane gas plant. Now they're showing again what community engagement can accomplish, even in challenging times.
What we saw in that meeting room was democracy working efficiently and decisively.
The Bottom Line
Across Tennessee, counties are wrestling with waste management decisions. Some have learned the hard way what happens without local control. We heard their stories of bad smells, ballooning budgets and nasty chemicals from counties without the Jackson Law in this month's LOCAL webinar.
Cheatham County just showed how it's done. No drama, no lengthy debates—just recognition that local communities should have a voice in decisions affecting their land, water, and quality of life.
For counties still on the fence about the Jackson Law, Cheatham's two-minute decision is a wake-up call. Every Tennessee county will face questions about landfill siting. The only question is whether you'll have a say when the time comes.
Cheatham County answered that question in two minutes flat. How long will it take yours?
[Get our LOCAL toolkit here] for making sure your community is protected. Check if your county has adopted the Jackson Law and educate your elected officials. They may not be aware that they need to pass it to have a say in landfill siting.