A 550-Acre Landfill in Washington State is Set to Open in 2024

In Adams County, Washington, a 550-acre landfill owned by Waste Management is under development. Cities and counties in North Idaho, Eastern Washington, and parts of Montana will use the landfill for their municipal solid waste that isn’t recyclable. WM expects to start operations “early next year,” according to The Spokesman-Review.

Spokane County, located near Adams County in western Washington, stands to benefit considerably from the opening of a new landfill. While most of the trash produced in Spokane County is sent to a waste-to-energy plant in the city of Spokane, some of it is sent to the Roosevelt Regional Landfill—one of the largest landfills in the U.S.—located 200 miles away. Spokane’s waste-to-energy plant accepts 800 tons of waste per day and generates electricity through incineration.

Adams County hasn’t seen a new landfill under development in decades. “It opens up a new alternative for folks out this way who haven’t had any in over 30 years,” remarked Ken Gimpel of WM. The landfill’s location means that huge quantities of garbage will no longer need to be transported long distances. 

The new dump is designed to have a lifespan of 150 years, with new sections opening up roughly every 20 years. It will utilize liquid and gas collection systems.

Gimpel commented that WM plans to capture methane at the site and convert it into energy. This wouldn’t happen for many years, however, because a sufficient amount of organic compounds at the landfill must first break down into methane.

A temporary unclassified use permit was awarded by Adams County commissioners in 1994 and made permanent in 2007. WM agreed at that time to provide free waste disposal services for Adams County as part of the deal.

The company hopes to employ as many as 50 workers at the Adams County landfill.

WM is now installing monitoring wells at the site, and a team is conducting borehole testing. Borehole testing is often used in geotechnical engineering and environmental assessments to determine the suitability of a site for construction, to assess the risks of subsurface contamination or groundwater intrusion, and to inform the design of foundations, tunnels, and other underground structures.