Landfill

What is it?
A permitted landfill is a well-run dump that is located away from environmentally sensitive areas, and designed so that drinking water is not negatively impacted. Health concerns are greatly reduced by controlling animals, birds, and insects through a variety of methods. Honeybuckets or wastewater are dumped or discharged in a separate area so that germ transmission is minimized. Access is controlled so that people do not risk injury, or needlessly track germs from the landfill to their homes.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

• A landfill is a more familiar, “low-tech” disposal method. As long as you don’t open burn and do pretty steady maintenance, you won’t come up against any emergency situations
• The community handles and takes responsibility for its own wastes
• You can get rid of all wastes (hazardous should be separated still)
• A well-run landfill is an ideal place to start up a recycling/reuse program

Disadvantages

• Takes up a lot of land and future use will be restricted.
• You really need to be careful about locating your landfill so that environmental damage is avoided. In reality, there are few places in village Alaska that are ideal for a landfill.
• To minimize health and environmental risks, you will need to install extra protective features, like a liner and drainage system. This type of landfill is much more costly.
• If you commit to a landfill for disposal of your wastes, it is much more difficult to change your mind than using a transfer station or burnbox, or other method. The largest portion of money is for capital outlay upfront (construction). You will also have to spend money on closure costs, once the landfill is opened, regardless of how long it is used.
• You must keep hazardous wastes out of the landfill. Staff must be dedicated to a well-ordered landfill, or you will have another open dump.

Lined landfill - what is it?

With a lined landfill, a ”liner” of dense synthetic material would be placed on the ground surface during landfill construction, before wastes are accepted. The liner acts as a barrier between the wastes and the ground. The contaminated liquid (“leachate”) that leaks out from the wastes is trapped, so it doesn’t drain out from the dump.

Lined landfill - Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

• Probably would reduce residents’ fear of contamination, so their subsistence activities would be less likely to be negatively affected
• A liner would possibly cause less damage to the permafrost, if it acts as an insulator from the heat of decaying wastes. Less damage might make post-closure landfill care less expensive
• Because greater protection of the ground water is built in, it is not as crucial that the landfill be staffed to monitor incoming waste loads

Disadvantages

• A lined landfill is significantly more costly.
• Although they provide substantially better protection than in the case of an unlined landfill, liners can become leaky over time, especially if they are not installed correctly.
• If not properly managed (i.e. snow removal) or designed for (e.g. a deep-enough gravel layer between liner and wastes), snowmelt will accumulate at bottom of liner, increasing the potential for leaks. If substantial snowmelt accumulates, wastes will “float” in water, presenting an aesthetic or odor nuisance, and a waste compaction problem.
• Residents may end up with the false impression that they can discard hazardous or inappropriate wastes because of the extra protection a liner costly

Where to go for information?

Contact ANTHC and VSW for help in construction. Look to USDA Rural Development or the State’s Municipal Capital Improvement Project for funding.

VSW Greg Magee, Program Manager 269-7613 www.dec.state.ak.us/water/vsw/index.htm

USDA 761-7705 www.rurdev.usda.gov

Communities that operate Class 3 landfills – Coming Soon!
There are several Alaska Native Villages currently operating permitted Class 3 landfills (or currently constructing landfills).

You can also check out DEC’s website for a list of communities with landfills.

Permitting your landfill – Coming Soon!
DEC is overhauling their SWM requirements for Villages. There is a good chance that a permit will not be required for your Village. To see if you are eligible for a waiver until the new regulations are set, contact Leslie Simmons, DEC at (907)269-7590.

Major Landfills in Alaska

Landfill		Contact Details
Anchorage Regional Landfill, Class 1 Landfill		http://www.muni.org/sws/disposalARL.cfm Phone: 343-4200 or 343-6509
Capitol Landfill, Juneau Class 1 Landfill		http://www.juneau.org/pubworks/r-rec.php Phone: 780-7800
Fairbanks North Star Borough Class 1 Landfill		http://www.co.fairbanks.ak.us/ PublicWorks/SolidWaste/default.htm Phone: 459-1482
Kodiak Island Borough Landfill Class 1 Landfill		http://www.kib.co.kodiak.ak.us/ Phone: (907) 486-9340
KPB - Central Baling Facility/Landfill, Soldotna Class 1 Landfill		http://www.borough.kenai.ak.us/SolidWaste/default.htm Phone: 907-262-9667
MatSu Borough, Central Landfill, Palmer Class 1 Landfill		http://www.co.mat-su.ak.us/PublicWorks/ solidwaste/solid_waste.cfm Phone: 745-4801
Oxbow Landfill (NSB) Class 1 Landfill		North Slope Borough http://www.north-slope.org/ Phone: (907)659-0155
Unalaska Landfill Class 1 Landfill		City of Unalaska http://www.ci.unalaska.ak.us/ Phone: 907-581-1260
Adak, Roberts Landfill / Balefill Class 2 Landfill		Bristol Environmental
Bethel Landfill Class 2 Landfill		City of Bethel PO Box 388 Bethel, AK 99559 Phone: (907) 543-3110
City and Borough of Sitka Class 2 Landfill		City & Borough of Sitka 100 Lincoln Street Sitka, AK 99835 Phone: 907-747-1804
Cordova Mile 17 Class 2 Landfill		City of Cordova PO Box 1210 Cordova, AK 99574-0 Phone: (907) 424-6200 www.cityofcordova.net
Denali Borough Landfill Class 2 Landfill		Denali Borough P.O. Box 480 Healy, AK 99743-480
Dillingham, Landfill Class 2 Landfill		City of Dillingham PO Box 889 Dillingham, AK 99576
Ft. Greely Landfill (Lateral Expansion) Class 2 Landfill		US Army Environmental Resource Division 1060 Gaffney Rd #6500 APVR/FW-PW-ER Fort Wainright, AK 99703-6500
Naknek, Landfill Class 2 Landfill		Bristol Bay Borough PO Box 189 Naknek, AK 99633
Nome (City of) Beam Road Landfill Class 2 Landfill		City of Nome P.O. Box 281 Nome, AK 99762 Phone: 443-6663 Fax: 907-443-5349