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Chaffee County landfill managers outline cell expansion and recycling diversion plans amid federal funding uncertainty
Summary
County landfill staff described plans to expand Cell 6, move cover soil from a Bureau of Land Management parcel and pursue waste-diversion programs that could extend landfill life — but said major construction hinges on available funding and grant timelines.
Chaffee County landfill staff told commissioners that construction to expand the county landfill and increase recycling and diversion capacity is planned, but the timetable depends on funding.
County staff described that Cell 6 was built mostly in 2023 and that future phases will rely on cover soil from a nearby Bureau of Land Management (BLM) parcel the county is negotiating to obtain. Shannon (last name not specified) said the county expects to fence and prepare about 40 acres on the BLM parcel to use for cover material. The landfill report for January 2025 shows revenue and customer counts largely steady but staff said the county will need roughly “million-ish” dollars for a construction project to expand capacity.
Why it matters: staff and commissioners framed the expansion as part of long-term planning to extend landfill life while the county pursues upstream waste-diversion strategies. Staff emphasized that diversion of high-volume materials — cardboard, demolition waste and other easily recycled streams — would reduce the disposal rate and “extend the lives” of landfill cells.
County staff also described operational steps that will improve tracking and data for future planning: a new weigh scale will be installed next month, expected to be operational by April 1, which will let the county record quantities by weight rather than relying on less precise estimates. Staff said a new cell or expansion will require a sizable capital outlay and that federal funding uncertainty puts those plans at risk.
Discussion and next steps: commissioners and staff discussed focusing initially on lower-cost diversion work that does not require major infrastructure investment — for example upstream cardboard collection at point-of-generation and other interim upstream measures. Staff said they will continue to pursue state-level Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) funds and other grants. They also noted local workshops (a recent CND waste workshop) and ongoing data collection to identify the highest-volume diversion opportunities.
Votes and formal actions: no formal board vote on the landfill expansion or financing was recorded in the transcript; the discussion was informational and tied to future budget planning and grant applications.
Ending: staff asked commissioners to retain the maps and said they will arrange a tour of the landfill for elected officials so they can see operations and better understand infrastructure and space constraints.
