McMinnville Weighs in Against Dump

After hearing from Waste Management, Yamhill County planners, and dump expansion opponents, the McMinnville City Council has informed the County that the city "does not envision Riverbend Landfill being part of our vision for a vibrant McMinnville and Yamhill County for the long term."

The letter, written by Mayor Rick Olson but expressing a City Council consensus, was delivered to the County last week.  Mayor Olson pointed out that an ever-growing dump is "contrary to sustaining a high quality of life for the current and future citizens and children of McMinnville."

What impact the City's letter might have on the expansion process is unclear.  County Commissioners voted in January to rezone the landfill to Exclusive Farm Use -- the first step in a process that Commissioners and Waste Management believe will allow the landfill to expand onto 37 acres of prime farm land next to the existing dump.  A final vote on the ordinance that will implement the change is scheduled for Thursday, February 13, 2014, at 10:00 AM in Room 32 of the Yamhill County Courthouse.

One condition of the rezoning approval requires Waste Management to add a "green technology" component to the landfill.  In the waste biz, "green tech" means utilizing waste to create a useful product such as energy, fuel pellets, or compost.  In the run-up to its application for the rezone, Waste Management touted a plant that would turn plastics, cardboard, and paper into fuel pellets that could replace coal.

Mayor Olson's letter encouraged the County and Waste Management to put green tech on the Riverbend site "as soon as is possible."  The Mayor also urged the two parties to significantly reduce the amount of garbage imported to Riverbend from outside Yamhill County and to reduce the amount of local solid waste entering the waste stream in the first place.  The latter effort, the Mayor suggested, could be funded from fees Waste Management pays to the County for its landfill license.

Finally, the letter also urged fast-tracking of efforts to control odor and litter, two of the seemingly intractable problems Waste Management insists it is on top of but which never go away.

The Stop the Dump Coalition is grateful for the City's willingness to step into this fray and to open a dialogue about ways to handle waste other than dumping it on the banks of the South Yamhill River.  To thank the City for its vision and, yes, its courage, contact Mayor Rick Olson at mayor@ci.mcminnville.or.us.

News-Register subscribers can read the paper's article here. Ask for a copy of the City's letter here.