Residents around Bozeman, and commercial haulers, may have a closer place in the future to dispose of trash rather than heading to the landfill in Logan. Gallatin County and the City of Bozeman have signed a memorandum of understanding to create a solid waste transfer station. The city will donate a plot of land located by the Water Reclamation facility to the county, who will construct and operate the project through its Solid Waste District.

“We’re grateful for this important partnership with Bozeman,” said Gallatin County Commissioner Zach Brown. “Seeing this project through will be an enormous benefit to our citizens, now and into the future.”

A solid waste transfer station is a midpoint for trash and acts as a temporary holding area. Currently, when garbage trucks collect trash, they must make the nearly 30-mile drive to the landfill each time for disposal, then 30 miles back to the urban center. By having a smaller area nearer to the population center where the trash can be compacted prior to transport, the overall number of trips to the landfill is greatly reduced.

These sites reduce wear and tear on collection vehicles and resident cars as people do not need to travel as far for disposal, resulting in cost savings in fuel and vehicle maintenance and replacement. They also reduce greenhouse gas emissions, free up congestion at the landfill itself, save time for residents and haulers, and reduce litter along the highway.

While Bozeman also has the Bozeman Convenience Site for solid waste disposal, it only accepts regular household materials in small quantities, not bulk trash or trash from haulers. It cannot be set up to be a transfer site as that is not permitted under the operating license and the site is not large enough nor have the ability for appropriate traffic flow for a transfer station. The county is making plans to close that site.

“The county has been great stewards of our solid waste, and we’re excited to be able to provide the land and partner with them on this new project,” Bozeman Mayor Cyndy Andrus stated. “This change alone will cut emissions by more than 350 metric tons, which goes a long way in helping us meet our climate action goals. We hope residents will use the site too and find it a lot more convenient than heading out to Logan.”

Find more information on solid waste management in Gallatin County at https://www.gallatinsolidwaste.org/.