PULLMAN — Whitman County is considering building a landfill that officials believe will reduce costs, reduce environmental impacts and could be shared by Latah County.

Whitman County worked with civil engineering company Great West Engineering to study the feasibility of developing a landfill located near the current transfer station north of Pullman.

The startup cost is estimated to be $10 million and take approximately five years to develop. Whitman County would likely need to purchase 75 acres of land. It has not yet contacted area landowners about the proposal.

The county’s goal with the potential development is to lower the economic and environmental cost of managing trash by keeping it in one place.

Whitman County Public Works Director Mark Storey said the trash at the active transfer station is currently transported to a landfill in Roosevelt, Wash.

Storey said the annual cost for the county to ship away garbage is approximately $2 million.

“I think long-term, what we’ve done here recently has clearly demonstrated that we can actually reduce the amount of money we’re spending on long-haul and disposal, and maybe normalize our tipping rates for 30-45 years to come,” he said.

Tipping rates are the fees people are charged for disposing waste at a landfill or transfer station.

Travis Pyle, Great West civil engineer, said keeping trash in one place rather than burning diesel fuel to haul it somewhere else also benefits the environment.

“You would definitely realize a ... decrease in your carbon footprint if you were to stay in one particular area and not long-haul,” he said.

The landfill would also be constructed with a liner to prevent groundwater contamination.

Tyler Palmer, Moscow deputy city supervisor, said Latah County’s trash is hauled away to a landfill in Oregon. He said Moscow is also interested in exploring the possibility of sharing the Whitman County landfill for its economic and environmental benefits.

If Whitman County partners with Latah County, the lifespan of the landfill is estimated to be 30 years, with tipping rates at $60-70 per ton. Without Latah County’s partnership, the lifespan would be approximately 45 years with higher tipping rates of $80-90 per ton.

Storey said that if a landfill is developed, the general public would likely still bring their trash to the existing transfer station. He said this is safer than asking the public to drive up to the landfill. The transfer station would also still be used for recycling purposes.

The current facility has a limited-purpose landfill that accepts demolition waste such as brick, concrete and asphalt.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.