LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - The city could benefit by opening a regional landfill as part of a statewide effort to address leaking landfills and contamination, a city councilwoman says.

At least 21 landfills in Wyoming - many of them unlined - are leaking and have the potential to pollute groundwater, councilwoman Jodi Guerin told her colleagues during a work session last week.

"I think there might be some benefit in our city considering being a regional landfill," she said.

The state has taken steps to address landfill leakage by appointing a citizens' advisory group to explore the problem and make recommendations.

The group has discussed providing incentives for communities to build regional landfills as a cost-saving way to protect the environment and streamline trash hauling.

"Costs drop dramatically when landfills are regionalized," Guerin said. "It's cheaper to ship the garbage to one location than it is for each location to have its own landfill with a liner."

The group is also looking for ways to improve Wyoming's recycling rates to reduce the amount of garbage shipped to landfills, she said.

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