What you need to know:
- The Mat-Su Borough landfill is opening a new entrance and disposal area designed to reduce traffic backups and make it easier for noncommercial customers to drop off waste.
- The upgrades include automated weigh-in and exit lanes, a one-way traffic loop and a new tipping floor for household and construction waste, along with improved access to recycling, hazardous waste and other drop-off areas.
- The $6.5 million project was funded through grants and landfill user fees, not local taxes, officials said. The facility began a soft launch last week, with full operations shifting to the new area and automated lanes scheduled to open the week of Sept. 6. The project sits on landfill property that previously included recreational trails and was cleared for construction in 2024.
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PALMER — Mat-Su Borough landfill visitors will use a new entrance, a faster weigh-in system and a brand-new series of dumping areas starting next week as part of a set of major tech and traffic flow upgrades at the facility.
The new entrance will be used by all noncommercial customers dumping household and yard waste, hazardous materials, metal, tires and construction debris.
The entrance sits on about 20 acres of landfill property cleared for the project in 2024. The land previously included a section of the borough’s Crevasse-Moraine Trail system that was rerouted to make way for the project. The system connects to the 30-mile Matanuska Greenbelt and winds over landfill property not yet needed for trash cells…