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Larimer County says new landfill and transfer-station contracts awarded; cost and cleanup work remain priorities
Summary
County staff reported an award for the new landfill project and a contract to build a transfer station at the existing site, described partnerships with Fort Collins and Loveland on construction/demolition recycling and cost-sharing, and said remediation and methane capture work is planned at the 60+-year-old existing site.
Larimer County officials updated the joint work session that the county has identified funding partners and executed project contracts to build a new regional landfill and a transfer station at the existing county disposal site.
“I'll be brief on this update, but it's all good news,” said Laurie Cadridge, assistant county manager, who presented the briefing. County staff said recent procurement activity produced an award for construction of the new landfill and a contract to build a transfer station at the existing site so trucks can offload to larger trailers for longer-haul trips to the new facility.
County staff said earlier estimates in plans written more than five years ago had underestimated the cost of building a new landfill and related facilities (those documents listed totals under $50 million). Current cost estimates for a new landfill and supporting projects now range roughly between $100 million and $150 million, county staff said, and the county has been working to shore up revenue and pursue partnerships rather than relying solely on county funds.
The county described partnerships with the cities of Loveland and Fort Collins. Loveland is negotiating a capital contribution to the transfer station, and Fort Collins is working on shared grant funding for a construction-and-demolition (C&D) facility at the existing site to separate C&D material for regional reuse—an item Fort Collins must accommodate under its policies.
On environmental and operations matters, county staff said the existing landfill (about 60 years old) lacks a modern liner and has generated groundwater contamination that the county plans to treat through an agreement with a wastewater treatment facility. County representatives said that, once the existing landfill is capped and groundwater is handled, they will capture landfill methane, and they have received a grant for the methane-capture project and are exploring reuse options for recovered gas.
On timing, staff said requests for proposals had gone out and an award was made; construction is planned in phases with the county targeting opening of the new landfill and transfer station in early 2026. County staff noted the transfer station approach is intended to limit long-haul truck traffic from moving municipal garbage directly to the new landfill every day by consolidating loads at the transfer station.
Why it matters: Building a new regional landfill, a transfer station and a C&D facility reshapes how trash and recyclable construction materials are handled through the region, affects routing and heavy-truck traffic, and involves capital spending in the tens of millions of dollars. County officials said local haulers will still serve municipal routes but that the county will exercise control over transfer-trailer routing where it operates hauling or contracts for the service.
Questions from trustees focused on routing and whether local haulers would need to make longer trips; county staff said transfer-trailer routing can be directed under county operations or contract, but private haulers’ day-to-day pickup routes remain outside the county's direct control.
Next steps: County staff will finalize contracts, continue partner negotiations for capital participation and grant support on the C&D facility, and proceed with groundwater remediation and methane-capture preparations at the existing site.
