Landfill

Solid Waste Division

The Solid Waste Division works to safely, courteously, efficiently, and sanitarily, with emphasis to the greater environment, accept solid waste, and begin to recycle what is feasible from the city. The division works in the City of Rawlins' area of responsibility for the economic and social benefit of the citizens and the area at the best possible monetary price.

It is important for the division to stay in full compliance with the letter and intent of all federal, state, county, and city laws as well as all applicable environmental regulations in order to safeguard the environment and the health and safety of the employees, customers, and neighbors.

Department Description

The Rawlins Landfill is the division of Community Development that accepts, stores, and recycles all refuse from the city of Rawlins, Wyoming and its surrounding area of responsibility.

The Landfill is made up of several different components: a transfer station to collect and store Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) until it can be hauled to the City of Casper Regional Solid Waste Facility; a Construction and Demolition section for items that are then buried at our landfill; and separate spots for tires, manure, metal, and green waste which are then sold/taken to their various final locations. The following items are free to dispose of at the landfill:

  • Oil, not to exceed 35 gallons
  • Metal, including washers, stoves, water heaters, grills, and bikes
  • Manure
  • Green Waste, such as trees, limbs, branches, and grass
  • Clean Dirt

Landfill Funding 

The Landfill is an enterprise fund that is required to be funded by the users and kept separate from general funds. For the landfill, we have two ways of collecting revenue. The first, the landfill maintenance fee shown on your utility bill, provides the landfill to the community. We bring in about $53,000 per month through the maintenance fee on the utility bill, so if we lost that funding, the charge at the gate would need to increase. This would then drive up the cost of construction, trash hauling and other services which depend on our landfill. The second, the fee at the gate, makes it more equitable, as people who haul more pay more fees. We bring in about $90,000 per month through the landfill gate charges, so if we lost that funding, the charge on the utility bills would need to increase.

Unscheduled Closures

Winds 

The Construction and Demolition section of the Landfill is required by the DEQ  to close when winds exceed 30mph for litter control and safety. 

Safety

The Landfill may also close at the discretion of the Community Development Director for safety reasons, such as extreme drifting, dangerous roads, or lack of power. 

WYDOT Road Closures 

The majority of the time when WYDOT closes 287 due to weather or other concerns, access remains available to the landfill as it is close to town. Please be prepared to stop and explain that you are only going to the landfill at the closure gate. If WYDOT closes the road completely, including traffic headed to the landfill, we close the landfill and notify the public.  

Notifications

Closures are posted to our homepage. You can sign up for alerts about landfill closures that will be sent directly to your email or text at www.rawlinswy.org/notifyme under "City Access and Other Alerts". Closures are also posted to our "Rawlins Public Works and Community Development" Facebook page.