ONSLOW COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) – An Eastern Carolina county celebrated a new phase in trash disposal on Monday.

Onslow County continues to grow, which means garbage in the area is not going away anytime soon. County officials say the expansion to the Onslow County Landfill is necessary.

The Onslow County Landfill is the only one available in the area, which is why expanding it was the only way to make room for garbage within the county limits.

“I think it’s about 12,000 tons that we’ve received alone from the municipals and not just Jacksonville,” said Chairman Tim Foster, Onslow County Commissioner. “We got a lot coming in just our community.”

Phase 1 of the landfill opened on October 9th, 1993. Now over 30 years later, phase 5 is complete with more still to come. In total there will be 10 phases completed.

“We will do phase 5, 6, 7, 8 and on top of the landfill will be the last two phases,” said Onslow County Solid Waste Director Jaime Harrell.

With the new phases making a difference at the landfill and within the garbage industry, the entire community will feel the benefits as well.

“If Onslow County did not provide a garbage service for the residents,” said Harrell. “The cost of trash disposal would double or triple for the citizens.”

Phase 6 and 7 will begin over the next two years. The landfill is designed to serve Onslow County over the next 25 years.

Officials say phase 5 added 4.5 years to the lifespan of the landfill and 11.5 acres.