CENTRAL PENINSULA LANDFILL (CPL)

(907) 262-9423

OPERATING HOURS

See our 'About Us' page, 'All Solid Waste Sites Locations, Contact Information & Hours'

NOTE: The CD/Metals Cell, Reuse Area, Lined Cell, & Brush Pile close at 5:30 pm - NO EXCEPTIONS

Location & Permits
The CPL is a Class I Landfill located at Mile 98.5 Sterling Highway, 2.5 miles south of Soldotna, in Sec. 12 and 13, T4N, R11W, S.M., AK. The CPL is required by ADEC regulations to have multiple permits: Solid Waste Disposal and AK Pollution, Discharge & Elimination.

Background
The landfill was established in 1969 and operated by the City of Soldotna until 1974 when the Borough assumed solid waste control. In 1990 the Borough Assembly adopted a Resolution designating the site as a regional landfill. Shortly thereafter, properties adjacent to the existing landfill were acquired to assure that a development and operational area would be available for at least thirty years. Subsequently, the Kenai and Seward Landfills closed, Transfer Facilities were upgraded and waste from all areas along the road system (except Homer) was routed to Soldotna.

The construction of a 13,000 square foot baling facility along with major site improvements were completed in 1992. The first of a series of lined landfill cells was constructed in 2005. Operations transitioned from baling to loose fill of MSW in the first lined cell. The original landfill area reached capacity in 2006. It was closed with a geosynthetic clay liner and geocomposite, topsoil and seeded in 2007.

Leachate management has occurred through on-site recirculation and off-site disposal at the Cities of Kenai and Homer wastewater treatment plants. A long-term solution for leachate management has been identified as evaporation through a leachate evaporation system. The design phase was completed in 2013 with construction planned for 2014.

CPL serves all municipalities and unincorporated communities located on the Kenai Peninsula road system. An estimated 98% of the Borough population is served by this landfill.

Construction
Federal and State regulations require liner installation and extensive environmental controls with any new or expanded landfill. To address these requirements, improvements were constructed at the CPL from 2003-2011. $12,000,000 in General Obligation Bonds funded the construction in 2 Phases for two cells.

Phase 1 began in the summer of 2003 and was completed in October 2005. This phase included the construction of the 9.3 acre Cell 1 with a bottom liner of geosynthetic clay overlain with a high density polyethylene liner. Related improvements included leachate and gas collection systems; leachate lagoon and tank; leachate loading station; stormwater collection and sediment lagoon; and mechanical/pump building. Other general improvements included extensive fencing, parking pads and roads.

Phase 2 began in October of 2010 and was completed in the fall of 2011. This phase included the construction of the 4.88 acre Cell 2 similar to that for Cell 1. Related improvements included the installation of heat trace to the leachate collection and recirculation systems. The sediment lagoon was enlarged to accommodate storm water discharge for Cells 1, 2 and future Cell 3. Cell 2 is anticipated to be brought on line in 2014.

Each landfill cell has a useable capacity of approximately five years, so a new lined cell will need to be planned, funded and constructed approximately once every five years for the next 30-50 years. Although the useable life of each cell is only about five years, the associated leachate collection and treatment facilities will be in use for a much longer period.

In June 2013 the Borough received approximately $3,500,000 from a State of Alaska Legislative Grant for design and construction of a thermal leachate evaporation system. Construction includes site civil work, purchase of the evaporation unit, construction of a metal structure to house the unit and all associated utility connections.

Operations
The Borough had hired private contractors for operations since 1974. However, factors including increasing contract costs, limited contract competition, and costs for additional services to address changed/modified work made contracting the Borough's primary solid waste responsibility increasingly impractical. Regulatory changes requiring continual program modifications, extensive work requirements and liabilities due to the new lined landfill, and leachate and gas management systems also were major factors in making the final decision for a Borough-run facility.

On January 1, 2005, the Borough commenced operations of the CPL after a long and lengthy evaluation. Eleven Borough employees were hired to replace the previously contracted positions and work has been conducted more efficiently and effectively ever since. Borough provided landfill staff are able to perform more core operations, construct improvements, monitor the old landfill closure, assist with other solid waste programs and work at other Borough facilities as ever-changing needs arise.

The public deposits MSW onto the tipping floor or into the nearby recycle bins. Commercial haulers deposit their loads directly into the lined landfill. Large and other types of waste accepted daily at CPL include animal carcasses, appliances, Construction Demolition (C/D), junk vehicles, Landscaping and Wood (L/W), metals, etc. The recyclables are baled and placed in a staging location for transport to market.

Cell 1 & Leachate Management - Waste is deposited into the lined cell, compacted and covered. Leachate is managed and monitored through the leachate collection system where leachate is generally collected, temporarily held in the tank then recirculated back through the waste. This type of management accelerates decomposition providing more space for more waste and significantly reduces the need for the costly hauling of excess leachate to a wastewater treatment plant for disposal. To further cost effectively manage the excess leachate a State of Alaska Legislative Grant was secured for the purchase and installation of a thermal leachate evaporation system. This system will keep the leachate entirely out of the aquatic environment and will ultimately utilize the landfill gas as an alternative fuel source. Site development began in the fall of 2013 with a targeted completion for 2014.

Recycling and Other Waste Materials - The current recycling program is based on voluntary public participation and diverts as much material as possible from burial. Additionally, C/D, L/W, scrap metal and other materials not requiring burial in a lined cell are managed in separate areas of the site. Asbestos requires special Borough permitting and is only accepted at CPL where it is buried in a separate cell.

Operational hours are seven days a week 8:00 A.M. to 5:45 P.M. The CD/Metals Cell, Reuse Area, Lined Cell, & Brush Pile close at 5:30 pm - NO EXCEPTIONS. Exceptions to days of the week hours are closures on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. The estimated annual tonnage is 48,000 to 58,000 tons (16 to 400 tons/day).

Permitting
ADEC Solid Waste Disposal Permit
18 AAC 60 Solid Waste Management regulations require MSW landfills be designed, built and operated to minimize health and safety threats, pollution and nuisances and operated in compliance with a comprehensive permit. The permit period is for five years and the application process includes drawings, documents and plans demonstrating the applicant meets all applicable standards pertaining to location, design, operations, monitoring, closure and post-closure, and financial assurance. An annual facility fee of $6,500 applies to each Class I landfill.

ADEC Solid Waste RD&D Permit - As of 2023, we no longer have this permit.
18 AAC 60 Solid Waste Management regulations require a permitted Class I MSW landfill with a liner and a leachate recirculation system be operated in compliance with a comprehensive RD&D permit in addition to the solid waste disposal permit. The permit period is for three years and the application process includes preparation of a detailed research plan with project goals and quantitative methods to measure progress, contingency and monitoring plans. This particular permit requires submission of comprehensive progress reports every six months. An ADEC hourly fee of $49 applies to any activity associated with this permit including a permit application evaluation and semi-annual report review. This permit requires ongoing commitment by SWD staff for significant daily recordkeeping associated with all operating systems – landfill cover, weather station, waste disposal, leachate management and heavy equipment. Compliance with this permit is a 24/7 operation with leachate management often demanding resources beyond the standard operating day.

ADEC Alaska Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (APDES) Multi-Sector General Permit ADEC APDES Program regulations require a permit for Storm Water Discharges Associated with Industrial Activity that includes Sector L, Landfills. The CPL is covered under a Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) which requires submission of a Notice of Intent to ADEC and compliance with a site specific Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP). The permit period is five years. This permit requires additional monitoring separate from other permits, regular recordkeeping, and, at a minimum, annual filing with ADEC throughout the permit period.

Hazardous Waste
Fluorescent bulbs, lead acid and household batteries, and used oil are accepted daily. Refrigerators and freezers are stockpiled in a designated area until they are drained of all refrigerants. HWCP events are conducted periodically throughout the year by the Borough's hazardous waste management contractor who manages the event and ships the waste out of Alaska for management.

Recycling
CPL has an extensive voluntary recycling program. Collection containers are set up outside the public household waste drop off area for convenient disposal. These materials include: PETE #1 and HDPE #2 plastics, aluminum cans, glass, corrugated cardboard, mixed paper, newspaper, and tin. Scrap metals including copper, iron and junk vehicles are stockpiled in a designated area away from the general public use area.

A solid waste baler is used to compact the recyclables (except the glass and scrap metal) prior to shipment to market. The Borough contracts with a local hauler to truck the recyclable bales to a firm in Anchorage who then pays the Borough per tonnage of recyclables received. Scrap metal is stored on site and a local scrap and salvage company periodically collects and hauls it away for marketing.

Since it is not practical or cost effective to transport glass great distances for recycling, and because there is a beneficial use locally, the CPL has utilized the glass collected for CPL road projects as a sub-base and drainage material. Borough personnel continue to research alternative local reuse of glass.

Monitoring
Environmental monitoring programs are in place for groundwater, surface water and landfill gas. Nine groundwater monitoring wells surrounding the facility are sampled four times per year and nearby Arc Lake is sampled annually. Methane gas monitoring is conducted quarterly. Environmental monitoring for waste stabilization and settlement associated with the lined cell is also periodically performed. Per ADEC regulations, a geotechnical stability analysis of the waste mass is performed annually.

Disposal Fees
CPL has scales and charges fees to both household and commercial vehicles for specific waste items based on tonnage or by the foot. Fees also apply to the hazardous waste management of CESQG waste. Households are not charged fees for most materials but each vehicle is weighed both on the inbound and outbound scales for waste tracking and reporting purposes.