Big changes coming to county landfill

The Lincoln County Landfill is making significant changes designed to help extend the landfill’s life beyond the eight years anticipated to be left before the current site is full.

Landfill manager Brian Alkire said the biggest change coming is the addition of an expanded recycling area, which will help divert recyclable refuse away from the landfill. The recycling area will include a new building, which will be placed atop a newly-paved area, paved from recycled materials. 

“We’re trying to push to minimize the amount of stuff that goes into the landfill,” Alkire said. “We’re looking at having a full landfill in the next eight years.”

Alkire said he hopes to have the new recycling area up and running by April 1, assuming the weather warms up enough to set the pavement.

A new E-waste storing area is also being added to the landfill, providing a place for electronic waste to be stored between the semi-annual disposal events. Electronic waste cannot be disposed of in the landfill and requires specialized disposal. The disposal of electronic waste is costly and there are only a handful of organizations in Montana licensed to handle it. The new facility, Alkire said, would allow the landfill to safely store the waste between the scheduled disposal events, which should prove to be of great benefit to area residents.

Another change being made at the landfill is the addition of large dumping cans on a newly-paved area for regular waste disposal. Patrons will be able to dump their refuse in those cans, thereby avoiding driving their vehicles into the muddy areas of the landfill. Crews will dump the cans into the landfill.

The changes at the landfill, Alkire said, are intended to help improve the service provided to county residents and to extend the life of the landfill. Alkire said the landfill is predicted to be full within the next eight years, and it can take up to 10 years to obtain the necessary permits for a new landfill. He said the county is currently making plans to close the existing landfill and open a new one on the property immediately west and adjacent to the current landfill. The new site, he said, is in the early preliminary stages.