An empty, seven-slot Henckels International knife block. A plastic bag full of crayons. A wooden table. Those were among the items waiting for a new home Tuesday in the “Sterling Mall” — the designated space inside the Sterling Transfer Facility where residents can drop off items for reuse that may otherwise end up in a borough landfill.

The space is nothing flashy — a block of blacktop sectioned off with a handful of orange borough safety cones and a sandwich board sign outlining the rules for leaving and taking items — but the borough hopes it will serve as a pilot pop-up project that will ultimately have a larger purpose.

Spearheaded by Borough Mayor Peter Micciche, the borough hopes the “Sterling Mall,” officially identified as a “KPB Reuse Area” by site signage, will help divert items en route to a landfill to other residents for reuse. That diversion, Micciche says, will prevent borough landfill space from filling up so quickly, which ultimately saves the borough and, by extension, taxpayers, money.

Solid waste services account for a large portion of the borough’s annual expenditures, he said, and any way they can cut costs is a worthwhile pursuit. According to the borough budget adopted earlier this year, the borough will spend about $11.4 million from the general fund on solid waste operations this fiscal year, accounting for about 11.5% of all general fund expenditures.

The same document says department spending increased by about $1.27 million from last fiscal year because of “inflationary impacts on contractual services,” with hauling contracts and ongoing maintenance among the most affected categories.

Micciche’s office in a July 7 press release celebrated the return of the “Sterling Mall,” which was commemorated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the site. If the Sterling site runs smoothly, the borough hopes to expand the reuse concept at other solid waste facilities in the borough.

“Folks out here in Sterling will again have the opportunity to reuse items and materials, while the borough reduces the significant cost of storing those items in our landfill forever,” Micciche said in a press release. “There is a real savings to be had in space and management costs, and one of many commonsense ways we can be more accountable and efficient with sacred tax dollars.”

Anything people choose to leave at the site must be clean and undamaged, and the site attendant has final say on what can be left. Acceptable items include building materials, outdoor and recreation equipment, tools and kitchen appliances, among others. Items that may not be left at the site include large appliances, chemicals, clothing, liquids and large furniture.

Through September, the Sterling Transfer Facility is open seven days per week from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The facility is located at mile 85.5 of the Sterling Highway.

Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.

Discarded items await new homes at the “Sterling Mall,” located inside the Sterling Transfer Facility on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, in Sterling, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Signage displays the hours of operation at the Sterling Transfer Facility on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, in Sterling, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Discarded items await new homes at the “Sterling Mall,” located inside the Sterling Transfer Facility on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, in Sterling, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)