What you need to know:

• Mat-Su property owners must register by the end of May for the borough’s $25 annual trash disposal coupon or forfeit the benefit.
• The email-based coupon includes a QR code for scanning at landfills and transfer stations, replacing the previous $8 version sent by mail. Users can also print it and present a copy. It is valid through next March.
• Only verified Mat-Su property owners are eligible. Registration is available through a form on the borough’s website.

PALMER – Mat-Su property owners must register on the borough's website by the end of next month to receive an annual coupon for free trash disposal.

The one-time-use coupon is valid for one year and provides up to $25 off trash disposal at the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Central Landfill in Palmer or any borough transfer station. It is available only to Mat-Su Borough property owners, officials said.

Property owners must register to receive the coupon using an online form or forgo the discount altogether. Coupons are delivered by email and are valid through March 31, 2026, according to the borough's website.

Coupons are not distributed automatically. Individuals who registered for the coupon in 2024 must re-register to receive it again this year, officials said.

The coupons include a QR code that landfill and transfer station employees can scan from a mobile device. Users can also print the coupon and present it at the facility, officials said.

The landfill coupon email delivery system replaced a previous borough program that mailed $8 coupons valid for three months. Officials said they switched to email to save on postage and printing costs and to increase the value and timeline of the benefit. The email coupon program was first used last year.

The borough verifies coupon eligibility by checking applicants against property records. The system is designed to prevent individuals living in Anchorage and other areas from using the coupon, officials said.

About 8,400 $25-off coupons were issued by email last year, said Solid Waste Division Manager Jeff Smith. Of those, about 3,500 were used, saving borough residents about $72,900, he said.

The minimum landfill fee for nonhazardous waste in Mat-Su is currently $15 for up to 200 pounds, with an additional $3 per bag. Hazardous waste fees vary by type. Residential brush disposal is free; grass clippings and similar yard waste disposal is $128 per ton.

Recyclables can be dropped off at the nonprofit Valley Community for Recycling Solutions facility near the Central Landfill. Recycling disposal is free, but donations are encouraged, officials said. 

-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com