Free Mat-Su landfill coupons available until May 31

What you need to know:

• Mat-Su property owners can register for a one-time coupon to dump up to $25 of waste for free at the borough landfill or transfer sites through March 31, 2027. Registration closes May 31.
• The coupon is limited to one per household, available only to property owners, and delivered by email with a scannable QR code.
• Last year, the borough distributed nearly 8,000 coupons, about 3,100 of which were used before the March 31 deadline.

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PALMER — Mat-Su property owners can once again receive free trash dumping by registering for an annual borough coupon program between now and May 31.

The one-time-use coupon lets users dump $25 worth of waste between now and March 31, 2027, at the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Central Landfill in Palmer or at one of the system’s paid transfer sites in Big Lake, Butte, Sutton, or Willow.

The coupon is available only to Mat-Su property owners because landfill officials use the borough’s property registry to confirm eligibility. It is limited to one per household. Individuals who own multiple properties cannot receive multiple coupons, officials said.

Coupons registration is conducted on the borough's website. The coupons are delivered by email and include a QR code that can be scanned at the gate.

Officials said individuals who do not have access to a computer or smartphone at home should visit a borough library to register using a computer there or call the landfill for assistance.

Last year, the borough distributed 7,810 coupons, Mat-Su Solid Waste Manager Jeff Smith said in an interview. Of those, 3,131 were used before the end of March, saving borough residents about $63,227, 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; disposal of grass clippings and similar yard waste is $128 per ton.

Landfill fees were last increased in 2023. Smith said he does not anticipate a fee increase this year.

Users who wait until mid-summer to visit the landfill will enter through a new service entrance accessed by a new road that runs from 49th State St. to the southwest corner of the facility’s current footprint.

That entrance is designed to keep traffic from stacking up along 49th State Street toward the Palmer-Wasilla Highway, borough officials said. It will use automated gates to process visitors, a system expected to come online later this year, Smith said.

-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com