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Bannock County approves Idaho Department of Corrections contract for landfill cleanup; PosiShell demo scheduled April 16
Summary
The county signed an agreement with the Idaho Department of Corrections to provide work crews at the landfill and scheduled a demonstration of a PosiShell alternative daily cover system for April 16 to compare costs and airspace savings.
The Bannock County Board of Commissioners approved a contract with the Idaho Department of Corrections for inmate work crews to assist at the county landfill and heard plans for a demonstration of a PosiShell alternative daily cover machine on April 16.
Bill Adams, landfill manager, told the board the DOC crews have been “fantastic,” are reliable and “way cheaper than anything else.” He said crews work under supervision of an officer who keeps them on task and that county crews will begin a period of side‑by‑side testing beginning in May if the commissioners approve the contract.
Adams explained PosiShell, an alternative daily cover comprised of a bentonite clay mixture that is sprayed like hydroseeding. He said the system is already approved by Idaho DEQ as an operations alternative daily cover, reduces windblown litter and vector issues, and saves landfill airspace compared with a standard one-foot soil cover. Adams estimated that airspace savings could extend the life of a cell by two to four years and described potential lifecycle savings measured in millions of dollars for airspace, though he did not provide a precise dollar figure during the presentation.
Adams said a demonstration of the PosiShell machine is set for April 16 at 3 p.m. and that if the county pursues the PosiShell machine, operational costs per hour and staffing requirements would likely be lower than operating scrapers. He also addressed concerns about leachate and methane production, saying the bentonite clay cover improves migration to the collection pipeline and therefore aids leachate management.
Commissioners asked technical questions about stairs, access and whether the material creates hard layers; Adams said it can be mixed with Portland cement for erosion control and is compatible with hydroseeding in other applications.
The board moved to approve the DOC contract for landfill assistance by motion and voice vote.
