More people = more trash

With population increasing and construction projects on the rise, the Kootenai County Solid Waste Department is already looking to expand its landfill — years ahead of schedule.

The Fighting Creek Farm Landfill is the only active facility in the county, processing municipal waste ranging from coffee filters to grass clippings. In 2019 the landfill processed 182,677 tons of garbage. Though 2020s numbers aren't finalized, Kootenai County Department of Solid Waste director John Phillips said the department expects to exceed that number by 9%.

"It'll probably be greater than 199,851 tons," Phillips said.

Typically, the Solid Waste Department plans for year-to-year growth of 5%, but recent data shows the county surpassing those expectations rapidly.

Part of it is due to Kootenai County's residential population increasing by 2.71% annually, but it's also due to the uptick of building developments.

"What is increasing most is construction debris," Phillips said. "Sheetrock, insulation, all sorts of construction items. Some companies try to recycle material, but it is difficult to make it worth it and takes time to separate."

The top garbage contributor is municipal waste such as food leftovers and paper towels, but Phillips said the increase in construction debris is still apparent.

After the previous facility was closed in 1993, the county initially created the Fighting Creek Farm Landfill to service community waste through 2042. Now, the most recent report anticipates the area will be filled by 2037.

Built in phases, the last garbage containment cell was finished in 2019, Phillips said, with the expectation of requiring another in 2024. However, in a status update meeting Monday with the Board of County Commissioners, Phillips said the expansion will be needed ahead of schedule.

"We depend on engineering companies to come and perform life cycle analysis because there are a lot of variables that dive into this, but it could be a year sooner. I doubt it is two years, but I don't know," Phillips said.

The increase in garbage is not an issue on all fronts, the director notes. Since 2010, the county and Kootenai Electric Cooperative have partnered to convert landfill gas into electricity that powers neighboring properties. As of 2014, the Fighting Creek Landfill was producing enough gas to support 1,200 homes and more is anticipated as the facility grows.

"People think of landfills as a whole bunch of garbage in the ground, but really we are an engineered facility with intricate systems," Phillips said. "All that electricity is being put on the grid and goes into houses and businesses around the area."

To meet demand, solid waste is preparing development of another storage cell and looking into a southern expansion soon.

"Obviously, we could run out of landfill space sooner, and I believe we should always be diminishing the amount of waste coming out of each and every household," he said. "But in our situation, the landfill is still the most effective solution for taking care of our municipal solid waste."