New Hanover County has won approval to expand its landfill, according to an announcement Wednesday.

The county’s environmental management department received notification from the N.C. Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR) that it has issued an approved site suitability determination, which allows the landfill footprint to extend an additional 273 acres from its current site.

Of that, 90 acres will be set aside for lined waste disposal cells, according to a news release. The remainder of the property will be maintained as protected natural wetlands, habitat restoration areas, buffer zones and soil borrow pit operations.

Once permitted for construction, the additional 90 acres of lined securely lined disposal cells will provide 13.9 million cubic yards of disposal capacity, equal to 60 years of additional site life, the release stated. The addition of an automated construction and demolition debris recycling system is further expected to extend that life an additional 20 years.

Joe Suleyman, director of the environmental management department, said he was grateful for the efforts of his team and DENR in helping to realize the goal of expanding the landfill capacity.

“Having this kind of capacity, especially in a coastal community, provides stability and predictability in our waste management programs,” he said in the release. “It has taken two and a half years to get to this point. Now the focus will shift to redoubling our efforts to minimize disposal and increase recycling, reuse, and waste reduction.”