New landfill in Fremont County celebrated with groundbreaking
NEWDALE, Idaho (KIFI) — Eastern Idaho Regional Solid Waste District (EIRSWD) celebrated a new landfill in Fremont County with a ceremonial groundbreaking Wednesday. It took place on site in Newdale under a pavilion where county and state representatives gathered to show support.
"As we look at the hole behind us today, you might ask how we can be so excited about a landfill," Clark County Commissioner MaCoy Ward said. "But, even being the smallest member by population in the district, our county also recognizes that garbage is a growing problem that nobody wants in their backyard. For the district to finally be where we are today, it is very exciting news."
The new landfill will be shared by Clark, Madison, Fremont and Teton counties. Back in 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it would be investing over $18 million into constructing the landfill.
"This project will provide a long-term solution to manage solid waste as efficiently and cost effectively as possible to prepare for population growth over the next 50 years," the USDA explained within the original announcement.
Before joining the waster district, Teton County seriously considered whether or not this new partnership was economically and environmentally a good decision. That's according to Cindy Riegel, a Teton County Board of Commissioners Chair.
"Teton County is going to benefit tremendously from this partnership," Riegel said. "We also hope that the counties we're working with will benefit from our knowledge and experience of waste diversion."
She says several factors were considered before the county decided to says project partners will continue to explore composting and waste-to-energy opportunities in the future to save money and reduce landfill-bound waste.
