According to Mat-Su Borough Solid Waste Division Manager Jeff Smith, big changes are coming to the Central Landfill over the next few years. These changes aim to add capacity to the landfill and encourage more recycling to reduce overall waste.
Smith says residents generated over ninety-six thousand tons of waste over the last year, a one percent increase from the prior year. But it’s about an eight percent increase over the last three years. Smith says the increase is largely due to construction debris, likely a result of the growing Borough population.
Smith says the new facility design at the Central Landfill will be built over 20 acres. Recycling bays will appear first on the one-way path toward the tipping floor. Smith hopes this will encourage more recycling before waste reaches the tipping floor.
Talkeenta, Willow, and Big Lake transfer sites all have recycling available for residents. Those operations are all run by volunteers, which keeps the contamination rate very low. But it also limits the communities that participate because of the person-power needed to operate them.
On average, Borough residents recycle about 1,870 tons of materials. Each ton kept out of the landfill saves $106. And it’s the weight of the materials that matters. Glass will provide the biggest savings when that option comes online next summer.
The Borough Assembly approved the purchase of a glass pulverizer at its meeting this week. Valley Community Recycling Solutions, the Borough’s partner in recycling, will process the glass and distribute it back to residents. The recycled material will be broken down into sand or small gravel chips that can be used for various projects, including road repaving.
Updates to the Central Landfill and some transfer sites will take a few years, according to Smith. Some changes, like the glass recycling, will come online as early as next summer.
