The city of Glendale officially opened the north cell of its municipal landfill on Thursday.

The south cell of the landfill receives close to 420,000 tons of waste annually from all over the West Valley. The new area will serve Glendale and the surrounding cities for disposing of residential and commercial waste for the next 40-50 years.

The south cell will hit capacity later this year and has served Glendale and other West Valley entities since opening its gates back in 1973. While the landfill is open to all Glendale residents and businesses, it is also available to residents in neighboring communities including Avondale, Goodyear, Peoria and Luke Air Force Base.

“This project saves our taxpayers money by having our own landfill,” Glendale Vice Mayor Joyce Clark shared in a news release. “Our residents have benefited from this landfill for over 50 years and now they will continue to benefit for at least another 50 more years in our new cell. Residents are allowed to unload up to one ton of waste each month at the landfill and receive bulk trash pick-up once a month at their residence.”

Construction on the north cell of Glendale’s landfill cost over $9.5 million. The project was led by the city’s engineering department.

Glendale’s capital improvement projects manager Gene Haranczak and the city’s principal engineer Tom Kaczmarowski worked together on this project and partnered with Rummel Construction, LLC. to prepare the north cell to receive the upcoming waste. Tetra Tech Inc. assisted with the design efforts.

“I am proud of our landfill director and staff who have been able to make a positive impact for residents and businesses in the West Valley for nearly 50 years,” Glendale Mayor Jerry P. Weiers stated. “We will be able to continue that impact with the new north cell for decades to come.”

The landfill is located at 11480 W. Glendale Ave., and is open from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. The landfill is closed on Sundays and all official city holidays.

The Glendale Municipal Landfill only accepts debit and credit cards for all customer transactions.

“In Glendale, we aim to improve the lives of the people we serve every day and today we are doing just that,” Glendale’s Field Operations Director Michelle Woytenko stated. “We always strive to be good neighbors and protect our environment and with this announcement today, we are doing both.”