Where Does Food Waste Go? Learn How Zero Food Waste Impacts the Landfill

The Three-Mile Landfill located just past Rockport Reservoir has been filling up with Summit County’s trash since 1980, according to the landfill’s Superintendent Tim Loveday.  The landfill will reach full capacity within an estimated 32 years if waste continues to flow in at the same rate. This lifespan could be doubled, however, if all food waste was diverted out of the landfill, which would have rippling environmental and economic benefits for county residents.   

The landfill needs to utilize multiple cells, areas specifically constructed for crushing and compacting the trash, to extend its lifespan. Already, the first cell has filled faster than anticipated, as garbage rates increased during COVID. Now plans are being made for a second cell that will cost an estimated $3.5 million and take two years to construct. “It only gets more expensive every year,” Tim said. 

With the first cell full and the second still in the planning stages, the landfill is currently utilizing an older, unlined section of the landfill. This section would not be up to federal regulations if built nowadays, but it is grandfathered in as it was built before updated regulations, though it does mean the landfill must monitor the groundwater with extra diligence.  

“We can divert food waste. We can divert cardboard. We can divert yard waste — all these things to gain significant amounts of time on our airspace because it’s a finite thing,” explained Tim. “It’s just like putting money in the bank. We’ve only got so much in the piggy bank and boy, every time we put garbage in there, we’re taking those dollars out.” 

Tim explained that food waste diversion is one of the most important things for landfill longevity and environmental impact. About 80% of all waste being sent to our landfill is divertible with 40 to 60% being food waste. To add to the importance of diverting food waste, Tim explained that it accounts for 50-70% of the airspace in the landfill, despite only being 26% of the weight going into the landfill.  

This is one of the key reasons why Park City Community Foundation’s Climate Fund launched the Zero Food Waste by 2030 initiative.  

“There’s no real downside to the food waste initiative,” Tim said. “We’re going to gain a tremendous amount of airspace in the landfill by diverting food waste and that’s of critical importance. We’re going to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas being emanated from the landfill. That’s big for our sustainable future.” 

Food waste produces mass amounts of methane emissions, a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, which escapes from the landfill. Food waste also produces the most moisture within the landfill, resulting in the highest amount of a liquid called leachate. Leachate is essentially polluted water that the landfill must expend hours of time and resources to pump and evaporate, which Tim said is dangerous to workers and a struggle to manage in the winter.  

All these factors are leading to increasingly expensive maintenance of the landfill and a narrowing lifespan of the current location.   

“It costs about $40 a ton to dispose of municipal waste in this landfill, and that goes up almost every year just with the cost of employment,” Tim said. This price is compounded by transportation costs from Republic Services, and the increased costs of recyclable transportation.  

Once the Three-Mile Landfill has reached its capacity — which could be within 30 years or so — Summit County’s waste will need to be transported elsewhere. After talking with a commercial landfill operator, he estimates this would cost $75 a ton to dispose of the waste, and about another $75 a ton to transport the waste. So, the current $40 per ton tip fee to dispose of the county’s waste would nearly quadruple to $150 per ton.  

“We’re talking a substantial amount of money and we’re a small county,” Tim said. “We’ve got about 43,000 residents, somewhere around 22,000 actual residential units, and you start dividing millions of dollars amongst those, it adds up fast.” 

Currently the landfill is primarily funded by tip fees, and the $80 annual solid waste fee to each resident. “I know some people often get upset about that $80.00 bill that comes each year, but the actual cost per residential unit to operate this division is more around $265 a year,” Tim said. “So, that differential, the tip fees can’t make up, and the $80.00 can’t make up, that comes out of general fund. So, your property taxes.” 

The good news about all of this is that the landfill’s lifespan can be doubled with food waste diversion alone. And this goal is extremely achievable.  

“Food waste is not a new technology. This technology has been around for decades,” Tim said. “So, that’s the thing that excites me most about it. We’re not talking about something that’s a maybe, it’s just having the willpower to actually execute the program. If we do that, we double the life of the landfill. We save the taxpayers money. Everybody wins.” 

To reach the goal of Zero Food Waste by 2030, everyone in our community will need to come together. If you haven’t already, please sign up for curbside food waste collection, and take advantage of the incentive program for the first 1,000 homes that was generously sponsored by Park City Mountain, through the support of Vail Resorts EpicPromise. If you sign up by December 8, you’ll be entered into a giveaway of gear valued at $1,200. Gain more entries by recruiting friends and family!