Thursday, City of Laramie officials cut the ribbon to their new landfill facility.

Members of the city council and public attended the ceremony at the landfill site located just outside of Laramie. The ribbon-cutting ceremony is the culmination of a five-year construction collaboration between the City of Laramie and Trihydro, an engineering and construction company.

State and federal regulations require that all landfills be outfitted with a liner containment system which protects the groundwater from contamination. Solid Waste Manager Brooks Webb explains the lining system of the landfill: Brooks on Liner System

Other equipment at the landfill site include a bailing system for trash disposal and bins for recyclable materials such as metals and tires.

Councilwoman Vicki Henry expressed her excitement about the new bailing system, stating that citizens, in the past, had to drive on a dirt road to dump their trash: “I don’t know about you, but I am always afraid to get a flat tire when I would back the truck up to those huge dirt pits, with everything out there. Hopefully it’s (the bailing facility) going to be a safer environment for residents who are bringing their solid waste to this facility.”

The new landfill facility will be maintained by the 19-cent increase to waste disposal fees, which will go into effect April 1. After a final round of testing by the state Fire Marshal in the upcoming weeks, the new facility will officially become operational.

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