BOZEMAN — The Bozeman Convenience Site is a place where hundreds of people a day come to drop off trash----but they may be shutting down in the future to make way for a bigger, new, and improved solid waste transfer facility.
“It gets insane, the line goes out to the road,” said Eli Putren.
Putren is a local arborist and he comes out to the Bozeman Convenient Site almost every day.
“It’s our best dump site because we drop off a lot of wood chips and brush,” said Putren.
But lately, he’s noticed the site becoming strained, stressed, and overcrowded.
As a matter of fact, the Gallatin solid waste district manager, Jim Simon says on their busiest days they’ll see 400 to 500 people visit the convenience site.
“We’ve had lines out the gate, and down the road, which leads to safety hazards,” said Simon.
The blue bins can only hold so much trash and once they fill up…
“We can’t accept any more waste and we have to close the facility,” said Simon.
So, they’re going to open up a new facility off Springhill and Frontage Road, on a plot of land donated by the city.
Bozeman residents and commercial haulers will no longer have to drive all the way to the Logan Landfill.
Currently, when garbage trucks collect trash they have to make a 30-mile drive to the landfill each time for disposal.
“A solid waste transfer facility will reduce the number of vehicle trips, reduce congestion on the interstate, and manage some of the debris that flies from vehicles on the way to the Logan Landfill,” said Simon.
As of right now, Simon says the total cost of the transfer site could be upwards of $40 million, funded by fees.
A hefty cost, but Putron thinks it’ll be worth it.
“The guys who work here are amazing, they make my day,” said Putron. “It’ll be a great thing if it gets bigger.”
