Arizona county considers closing its landfill

Officials in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, are dissatisfied with the expenses involved in operating the county’s landfill and are seeking alternatives.

An online article prepared by the Nogales International, based in that Arizona city, quotes county officials who say they are displeased with the red ink the landfill generates most years.

Although the Rio Rico Landfill was in the black in 2015, the article points out it was the first time that has happened in more than five years.

Officials fear that any more unprofitable years will involve dipping into a reserve fund of cash that will be needed to close the landfill in an environmentally sound, permitted manor.

Santa Cruz County Public Works Director Jesus Valdez is quoted by the International as saying among the options is building one or more transfer stations and then transporting the county’s municipal solid waste (MSW) to a landfill outside the county.

Valdez and other officials quoted say Santa Cruz County and the city of Nogales (the county’s largest city) may well put out a request for qualifications (RFQs) to MSW haulers to find out if that is a viable alternative.