Growing county produces 127,149 tons of garbage

The Daily Inter Lake

Garbage collections at the Flathead County landfill set a record in 2006, and continue to grow at an alarming rate.

The landfill disposed of 127,149 tons of garbage during the year, up 7.5 percent from 2005, according to landfill director Dave Prunty.

"That isn't as mind-blowing as it was, but we're still growing significantly," Prunty said. "The 7.5 percent is still an astronomical number."

Garbage collections at the landfill have increased more than 30 percent since 2003, including a 16 percent increase in 2004 alone. The rate of growth has dropped into the single digits the last two years, but it's still eating up the facility's available capacity.

A two-year expansion project just west of the existing landfill hill was completed in 2006. More than 400,000 cubic yards of dirt were removed, creating an enormous hole in the ground; the pit was then covered with a plastic liner, to prevent contaminants from seeping into the groundwater.

"We'll start putting garbage in that area next spring," Prunty said. "And we have one more expansion area to the north that's probably three to four years out, depending on how much garbage comes in."

When those two expansion areas are filled, landfill operations will shift to a 90-acre area immediately to the south, which recently was permitted by the state.

The new landfill will have room for about 17 million cubic yards of garbage - enough to last from 30 to 60 years, again depending on how fast the garbage collections increase. The 30-year figure is based on an 8 percent annual growth rate.

Reporter Bill Spence may be reached at 758-4459 or by e-mail at bspence@dailyinterlake.com