How can the City of Phoenix locate a landfill that is not in its own boundary?
The City of Phoenix studied virtually all of Maricopa County and portions of Yavapai and Pinal counties to determine possible landfill sites. For the SR 85 Landfill site, Phoenix worked with Buckeye, Maricopa County and the State of Arizona to obtain siting approval. Regulations require heavy-duty floor liners and a groundwater monitoring system to ensure that potential impacts are avoided. Also, depth to groundwater was a criteria in siting any landfill. An ideal site will have a long distance between the landfill and any potential groundwater supplies. The SR 85 Landfill site satisfied those criteria. Most of the federal requirements affect older landfills, to rectify the problems from historic practices. For the future, there are not many changes being discussed, although EPA is looking at a new technology called a bioreactor landfill, which decomposes waste faster than normal. To learn more about the location and hours of the city’s disposal facilities, click here to be transferred
