Anchorage's landfill needs $1.9 million in new heavy equipment

Two worn-out machines at the Anchorage Regional Landfill have reached the point where fixing them costs more than replacing them, and the Assembly votes July 21 on nearly $1.9 million to buy new ones.

The bigger purchase, about $1.13 million, is a new Caterpillar dozer that pushes and compacts waste. The other, about $766,000, is an excavator for moving trash and recyclables. Both come through a cooperative purchasing contract the city says shaves roughly $360,000 off list price, and trading in the old machines knocks off another $235,000.

Solid Waste Services says the retiring equipment is "no longer cost effective to repair and maintain."