Dirty business

TALKEETNA — As the Mat-Su Borough continues a 3.5 to 4 percent annual growth rate, so does the amount of trash it generates. A great majority of that ends up in the borough’s Central Landfill facility in Palmer. Borough Solid Waste Division Manager Butch Shapiro said his department is making a concerted effort to keep as much of that debris out of the landfill as possible.

To accomplish this, Shapiro’s department has instituted a number of in-house programs. Included in the mix are the transfer station recycling container program, implementation of the recycling coalition, offering compost education classes, and a reuse program for paints and pesticides.

The cost of properly and safely disposing of waste is not cheap, Shapiro noted. His department’s budget sits at approximately $8.5 million annually. The current landfill was developed in 1989 and encompasses 640 acres. When it was built, it was designed to meet the borough’s needs for the next 100-plus years. Unlike many landfills in the Lower 48, Shapiro noted Central is not funded through tax revenues but rather fees charged to utilize the site.

Shapiro said landfills are basically a place where lined cells can be developed to hold waste. Central is on its third cell which is six acres in size, and has a volume of approximately 900,000 cubic yards with a five to seven-year life expectancy. Cell construction costs is between $4-5 million. Closure costs come in at $3-4 million with an annual maintenance budget of just under $2 million.

The borough’s size also plays a major factor in overall picture. To help ensure refuse is properly and safely disposed of, Central Landfill operates 13 transfer stations in Mat-Su’s outlying areas including: Big Lake, Butte, Sutton, Talkeetna, Willow, Skwentna, two sites in Glennallen, Glacier View, Gakona, Point MacKenzie and Trapper Creek. Shapiro said the collected transfer station tipping fees do not cover actual operating costs to the tune of more than $1 million annually and that recycling can help shrink that gap.

Shapiro said the recycling not only saves the consumer money, it also cuts landfill costs and generates additional landfill lifespan. Each pound of waste kept out of the stream generates a savings of slightly more than 25 cents. At the same time, individuals participating in available recycling programs spend less money to properly dispose of generated trash.

Working with Valley Community for Recycling Solutions (VCRS), as noted in a previous story, Central implemented satellite recycling programs at three borough transfer stations with a fourth in the works planned for Sutton.

“The more trash we can squeeze into a cubic yard (at the landfill), the more money we save, and the longer the landfill lasts” Shapiro said.

The borough recycling coalition is in its first year. Shapiro said he’s working closely with many borough community councils to develop the coalition and the still loose-knit group continues to evolve. Holding quarterly meetings, the group always welcomes new faces. Covered topics run the gamut on recycling-reuse topics and Shapiro is hoping to get additional public involvement.

Shapiro said the coalition will hold its next quarterly session Saturday, Oct. 8 starting at 10:30 a.m. Meetings are held at the landfill offices in Palmer.

Composting organic materials is another great way to lower the stream of items destined for the landfill, Shapiro said. The borough’s waste management division has hired Ellen Vande Visse of Good Earth Garden School in Palmer. As much as a third of household refuse could be converted to compost. Central landfill sponsors three different compost classes—including vermi-composting. The latter incorporates adding worms to the compost pile to both speed the process and produce a better compost product.

Central’s basic and vermi classes can be completed in one day while the master-composting class is a two-day event. All are free of charge and open to the public. Most recent classes just wrapped up last weekend. The program will pick up again next spring. More information can be obtained by contacting compost@matsugov.us.

Yet another way Central cuts down and helps keep hazardous materials out of the waste stream is its reuse program. Shapiro said customers’ paints and pesticide products are pulled aside and checked. Those deemed usable are set aside.

“People can come in and take what they need for no charge,” Shapiro said. “There’s no reason for anyone to buy paint. You can get enough for a base, take it to a paint shop and have it tinted for very little cost.”

For additional information, contact Community Cleanup and Recycling Coordinator Ivy Spencer at 861-7605. Central Landfill is located at the end of North 49th State Street off Palmer-Wasilla Highway between Glenn Highway and Trunk Road.