City officials Wednesday approved a $10,000 contract with a consulting firm to study the feasibility of expanding the Shawano landfill.
The Common Council unanimously approved Foth Infrastructure and Environment LLC for the work. The multi-state company has Wisconsin offices in Milwaukee and Madison.
The contract still needs the approval of the Shawano County Solid Waste Management Board.
Department of Public Works Coordinator Eddie Sheppard said the landfill, on Rusch Road on the eastern edge of the city, has capacity for about another five years.
“We’re just kind of doing our homework now to get all of our ducks in a row,” he said.
Sheppard said the landfill feasibility study would be in conjunction with the solid waste management plan being done by the county.
“We’re looking at the existing site specifically to see if there’s any options of expansion there first before we would expand out beyond there,” he said.
As part of the study, Foth will look at DNR siting requirements related to groundwater and floodplain, and provide cost and capacity estimates.
The process of either starting a new landfill or expanding the existing one could take two or three years, Sheppard said.
“In the next year or two, we do need to get moving on, ‘OK, what’s the plan here?’” he said.
Sheppard said the option of burning some waste to extend the life of the landfill is also being explored.