A Dump by Any Other Name...Still Stinks

by Ilsa Perse, President, Stop the Dump Coalition/Waste Not of Yamhill County

DEQ (the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality) says it doesn't get very  many complaints about the stench from Riverbend Landfill.  Without recorded complaints DEQ, and Waste Management, think that everything is hunky-dory. You know that is not the case.

What Needs to Happen:  The public needs to report the odors
How to Report:                 
Email:  andes.gary@deq.state.or.us (Gary Andes, DEQ odor czar for Riverbend)
             complaintintake@deq.state.or.us (DEQ general complaint department)
             mathiss@co.yamhill.or.us (Sherrie Mathison, Yamhill County Solid Waste)
             JOLeary@wm.com (Waste Management environmental control at the dump)
  What to Say: 
     • where you smelled the odor (driving on Hway 18, Lowes parking lot, walking on Linfield Campus, etc)
     • when you smelled the odor (date and time if possible)
     • what you smelled -- This is an extra credit detail and is not essential, but sometimes the odor that fills the air is clearly garbage, or diesel, or rotten egg.

Numbers Matter:  If possible, send one email each time you smell the dump.  It's a numbers game.  4 different emails will go in as 4 complaints.

If you want to elaborate about why the odor bothers you, of course, do that, but you can keep your emails simple, sticking simply to: where, when, and maybe what.

Easy way to send to 4 different email addresses:  Make a group in your email address book; maybe call it "Riverbend Stinks" or "Odor"or "Stench" or anything that works for you and include the 4 email contacts shown above. Send your comments to that one address and voila, all 4 contacts will be included.  If you can only manage one email address, then make it GARY ANDES ---andes.gary@deq.state.or.us.

People tell us all the time that they smell the stench driving to and from the Coast, Willamina or Sheridan; driving on Pea Vine Road, at Lowes, Albertsons, Roths,  Linfield, Bi-Mart,3rd Street, etc.  Telling folks like your boss or myself that the dump smells does no good. It only counts if you tell DEQ.

Thank you for helping out yet again.  Complaints before the end of the year are important, but then once 2014 rolls around, please keep it up!

Merry, Happy, Joyous, Peaceful, and Garbage-Free wishes to all.