The Johnson County Landfill, owned and operated by Deffenbaugh Industries, is located at 435 and Holliday Drive in Shawnee, Kan. Situated on nearly 1,000 acres with a secure perimeter, the Johnson County Landfill is the largest, safest, Subtitle D landfill in the Midwest. Please click to view a conceptual cross-section drawing of the landfill.

More than 800 trucks enter and exit the Johnson County Landfill every day, providing a vital service to the region. The landfill is open 365 days per year, 24 hours a day and accepts solid waste and appliances. The landfill includes a separate facility for processing yard waste into compost. Hazardous materials are not accepted at the Johnson County Landfill.
A Customer Convenience Center offers a safe, convenient option for local residents to bring their extra waste, just inside the gates of the landfill. An on-site gas plant at the Johnson County Landfill converts methane gas, a natural by-product, into energy used to heat and cool more than 5,000 area homes every day.

Please click to enjoy a short video that includes a bird’s eye view of the Johnson County Landfill.

Extension of Closure

Deffenbaugh Industries is currently considering options to extend the life of the Johnson County Landfill beyond the projected closure date of 2027. The company retained Cornerstone Environmental Group to revise the expected site life calculations for the landfill to determine the most likely closure date, based on recent waste receipt trends, the impacts of the waste diversion regulations being implemented by Johnson County and the City of Shawnee, and the remaining available airspace. Please click to review the report prepared by Cornerstone, or please click for a shorter summary.

In turn, the City of Shawnee has prepared some Frequently Asked Questions about the possible extension of the life of the Johnson County Landfill.

Based on its responsibility to ensure adequate and affordable disposal capacity, the Johnson County Environmental Department retained R. W. Beck, to conduct an independent review of the updated waste capacity projections for the landfill. The purpose of this review was to determine whether the assumptions, analysis and findings from Deffenbaugh Industries were reasonable. Please click to review the report prepared by R.W. Beck.

Questions and Feedback

The Johnson County Landfill provides a vital service to residents throughout the Kansas City metro area. If you have questions or feedback about the Johnson County Landfill or the extension of closure process, please contact Jill Tilton jtilton@deffenbaughinc.com