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Frequently Asked Landfill/Disposal Questions
Closed Skunk Creek Landfill
- What are the operating hours of the transfer stations?
To learn more about the location and hours of the 27th Avenue Solid Waste Management Facility and the North Gateway Transfer Station and Materials Recovery Facility, click here to be transferred to the main landfill section of this website.
To learn more about acceptable materials and tipping fees at the 27th Avenue Solid Waste Management Facility and the North Gateway Transfer Station and Materials Recovery Facility, click here to be transferred to the main landfill section of this website.
The new SR85 started accepting materials in January 2006. In the past, the amount of solid waste disposed at Skunk Creek Landfill was slightly over one million tons a year. It is anticipated that this will be the same amount taken to SR85.
These problems are minimal because the City uses a variety of techniques to control odors. At the landfill, strategies include daily soil capping, watering for dust and odor control, and proper siting of landfill cells. At a transfer station, strategies include enclosing operations, and misting for dust and odor control.
To learn more about commercial hauler use of landfill or transfer stations, click here to be transferred to the main landfill section of this website.
Transfer station trucks are required to be covered to keep trash from spilling out during transport, and crews pick up any trash that may have escaped on the roads in the vicinity of the landfill and transfer station.
To learn more about why materials should be transported to the landfill covered, click here to be transferred to the main landfill section of this website, then scroll to the section titled "User Tips".
To learn more about acceptable materials at all city disposal sites, click here to be transferred to the main landfill section of this website, then scroll to the section titled "Unacceptable and Conditionally Acceptable Wastes".
New Disposal Facilities:
A number of the criteria are stipulated in state and federal law, such as proximity to airports, floodplains, and active geologic faults. Other criteria consider operational factors such as the distance from incompatible land uses as well as the proximity to major transportation corridors. Environmental factors such as depth to groundwater and possible impacts on wildlife are also considered. In addition, the Citizens’ Advisory Committee was created to provide public input throughout the process.
The costs were: $23 million for the landfill, to purchase land, design the landfill, and construct facilities (this does not include waste cell development). The cost for the transfer station, for land purchase, design, and facility construction was $43 million. These costs were in the City’s budget and revenue bonds were issued for these projects.
With the closure of the Skunk Creek Landfill (31st Avenue and Happy Valley Road in north Phoenix) on December 31, 2005, there was no longer an operational landfill within the City of Phoenix. The City studied several locations for potential landfills, the new location selected needed to be much farther away than the Skunk Creek Landfill. Use of long-haul trucks is the most cost effective means for transporting waste that is a distance away from a landfill (the capacity of a long-haul truck is equivalent to approximately 2.5 regular side-load solid waste collection vehicles used in Phoenix neighborhoods). For this reason, the City sited a transfer station where smaller trucks can dump their loads and fill long-haul trucks with the waste and transport them the long distance to the landfill.
The North Gateway Transfer Station and Materials Recovery Facility occupies approximately 30 acres of land.
It is anticipated that during the week, about 700 vehicles will use the North Gateway Transfer Station (NGTS) each day and on weekends about 1,500 vehicles. Approximately 100 long-haul trucks leave from NGTS each day.
It might be more cost-effective to operate smaller facilities, but it is very costly and time-consuming to site and construct transfer stations, even small ones. Considering the cost to site and construct several smaller facilities, it was more cost-effective to site, construct, and operate one larger transfer station, North Gateway.
The Skunk Creek Landfill closed at the end of 2005. Beginning then, there was to be no operational landfill in the City of Phoenix.
The City’s goal is to provide the highest level of services to its residents at the lowest cost. In the solid waste area, this has been accomplished through competition with private companies for both collection and disposal. By owning its own landfill and transfer stations, the City keeps prices competitive and costs lower for solid waste services.
Disposal of waste in a landfill is much less costly than incinerating waste. Although controlled, incinerators also generate greater air emissions, including toxic air emissions. Therefore, there are typically more perceived environmental impacts from an incinerator than from a landfill.
Yes, the City’s Phoenix Recycles residential recycling program diverts about 20 percent by volume of the residential waste stream collected by Phoenix. Phoenix Recycles is available to all city-serviced single family residential units.
To learn more about the Phoenix Recycles program click here to be transferred to the main recycling section of this website.
First the last landfill cell will be capped. Then the site will be made into a natural habitat park or some other City park/recreational facility. Parks and Recreation Department staff received advice from a Citizens' Advisory Committee master plan for the end use of Skunk Creek Landfill and now continue to search for funding sources to complete the plan.
The SR 85 landfill will serve the City of Phoenix solid waste needs for the next 50 years.
The SR85 Landfill will occupy about 2 square miles, or 1,300 acres of land.
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.
To learn more about the location and hours of the city's disposal facilities, click here to be transferred to the main landfill section of this website.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.
Main Menu - Disposal Facility Descriptions
North Gateway Transfer Station and Materials Recovery Facility
27th Avenue Solid Waste Management Facility
SR85 Landfill (not open to general public)
Frequently Asked Questions about City Disposal Facilities
Current Public
Disposal Locations and Information
Garbage and Recycling Services
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