Kelly Toth, nominee for Solid Waste Services director, told the Anchorage Assembly on Feb. 28 that she plans a year of action focused on leachate treatment, landfill gas capture and beneficial use, expanded recycling services and upgrades to aging infrastructure.

Toth described an array of projects already under way or planned for 2025, including pilot testing a leachate treatment system on-site, upgrades to gas collection and blowers, implementation of beneficial-use projects for landfill gas and a software replacement to improve customer-facing services. "This is the year of action," Toth said, summarizing the department's priorities.

The nominee noted the department opened a material-recovery facility last year and reported increased diversion: "we diverted over 650 tons of organics," Toth said, adding the facility was only open three days a week during that period. She also said the city reopened a wood lot that had been closed for two years and credited operations staff for nimble responses during recent windstorms.

Why it matters: Anchorage's landfill and diversion work intersect environmental compliance, neighborhood air and odor concerns, and city utility operations. Toth said Solid Waste Services (SWS) is operating under a compliance order by consent with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and is pursuing infrastructure and operational changes intended to reduce leachate, improve gas capture, and reduce trucked leachate to the wastewater utility.

On environmental compliance and leachate, Toth said the department has a five-year fill plan to re-engineer landfill grading and drainage so more runoff is managed as stormwater rather than leachate. She outlined a planned pilot of reverse-osmosis/evaporation pretreatment for leachate this year and said on-site pretreatment could reduce trucked volumes to the Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility (AWU). "If we can pretreat and treat all of that leachate on-site, then we are not trucking all of those trucks over," Toth said.

Addressing neighborhood odor and gas capture, Toth said upgrades planned for 2025 include replacement of blower systems and header piping to increase vacuum and gas collection at the landfill. Those measures, she said, will allow the city to route more gas for beneficial use and add redundancy such as an additional flare. She said Doyon is a major stakeholder in gas projects currently supplying about 7 megawatts to a military base and that the city is discussing designs with Doyon and engineering advisers.

Toth outlined steps to improve SWS safety and compliance after a period of notices of violation and inspections. "We were faced with almost $500,000 in fines," she said, adding that many penalties were dismissed after an informal process and that the department invested about $10,000 into standing up a revamped safety program and bringing in a safety consultant. She said a permanent safety position is being posted and the current SME (subject-matter expert) is supporting onboarding.

On recycling and the East 56th Avenue site, Toth said the property was used temporarily as a cold-weather shelter and could return to its original role as a recycling center if agreements allow. She said the memorandum of understanding between SWS and the health department that governs the site's current use will end "I think it's September or October of this year," and that the department will evaluate options and milestones before negotiating further. Toth described a vision for a more accessible front‑of‑house recycling center to support diversion and local jobs.

On larger technology and customer service changes, Toth said SWS is seeking a purchase agreement for an AMCS platform to integrate truck-side data, customer service photos and an online customer portal that will enable online payments — a capability the department currently lacks. She said implementation or a procurement item could appear on the assembly’s next agenda.

On waste‑to‑energy options such as incineration, Toth said the department is refreshing site, feasibility and financial analyses and will expand public outreach and community‑council engagement once technical work is complete. "When those two things are completed, we are going to stand up our outreach for the public," she said.

Toth also described plans to stand up a direct public complaints channel for odor and other neighborhood concerns and to coordinate on bear‑resistant containers and outreach with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and commercial haulers. She said SWS is exploring interim field testing of can/lock combinations while waiting for formal wildlife‑resistance certification.

Assemblymembers who spoke during the work session expressed support for Toth’s nomination and for the department’s direction. "I think you do a great job, and I am excited about how excited you are about trash," Assemblymember Scott Myers said. Assemblymember Zach Johnson thanked Toth for stepping up during recent unsheltered-persons needs and for forward‑looking diversion work.

Next steps: The assembly chair placed the item back on the calendar. "With that then, this item will be back before us on Tuesday night, and I assume you would like to be sworn in at the meeting," an assembly member said; Toth responded yes. No formal confirmation vote or oath occurred at the Feb. 28 work session.

Ending: The assembly recessed to return for the regular meeting where the confirmation and swearing‑in are scheduled, and Toth said she welcomed public tours of the landfill and further engagement as projects develop.