Beyond Waste

Last week, Fred Stemmler, General Manager of Recology, spoke on the topic "Beyond Waste" at the McMinnville City Club.  Recology, an employee-owned company headquartered in California, handles garbage and recycling pick-up in McMinnville and west Yamhill County.  Leonard Rydell was present at the meeting and gives us this report:

I have not seen such enthusiasm for recycling since the late 1970's and early 1980's.  That's when a group of women started Yamhill Valley Recyclers, a recycling program in Yamhill County.  The YVR opened a recycling drop-off center at the old Hubbard Shoe Grease building and obtained a tipping fee for garbage deposited at the then new Riverbend Landfill.

Recology has far exceeded the efforts of the Yamhill Valley Recyclers.  At its McMinnville facility, Recology recycles not only the typical metal, paper, cardboard and glass, but also organic compost, clothing, shoes, hardback books, CDs, motor oil, window glass and electronics on a daily basis.  Recology's ultimate goal is "Zero Waste," and they have even ordered a machine that will compress Styrofoam into compacted blocks that can be reused to make new Styrofoam.

Although I live in Newberg, I find myself taking most of my non-donatable recyclables to Recology, located at 2200 NE Orchard Avenue in McMinnville, because the recycling center located at the Newberg transfer station has offered reduced services since it was acquired by Waste Management.  I raised the issue with the Newberg City Council, and one council member responded that, "They do more than we ask" -- meaning, apparently, that we shouldn't ask for anything.

This view to expect less is apparently shared by at least one Yamhill County Commissioner.  At the January 2014 meeting where Commissioners voted to rezone Riverbend Landfill so it can expand onto good farmland next door, Commissioner Kathy George stated that she wanted to keep garbage bills low for poor people.  Apparently, she does not realize that one can almost eliminate their garbage bill by recycling as I have done since moving into my new house in 1977.  Riverbend Landfill accepts a small amount of garbage for free when predominately recyclables are dropped off.

I encourage all Yamhill County Residents and the Newberg City Council to stop by Recology in McMinnville to see what they recycle and learn that you don't need to pay to keep having your cast-offs pile up on the mountain of trash  in the flood plain of the South Yamhill River.

-- Leonard A. Rydell

Leachate Leak -- donations

Friends,

As has been reported in the press, leachate from Riverbend Landfill leaked into a neighboring creek and then into the South Yamhill River during the snow event of several weeks ago.  According to Bob Schwarz of DEQ, ".. two of the chemicals found in the downstream sample were acetone and methyl ethyl ketone." Neighbors have been told there is no reason to worry as "dilution is the solution to pollution."

Waste Management has pledged to explain the leak at a Pizza Event on Wednesday, March 19th, at the Red Lion Inn on Highway 18 (near the hospital).   Of course, other topics can be addressed (think berm, alternative waste handling methods, earthquake safety), especially if all of you ask questions!  Several Stop the Dump people will be out of town, so we are hoping that the public in general will be there to get pertinent information from Waste Management.

WHAT:-Waste Management Meeting to discuss Leachate Leak

WHEN: Wednesday 19 March; 6;00 PM for Pizza; 7:00 PM for Meeting

WHERE:  Red Lion Hotel near the Hospital on Highway 18

APPEALING COUNTY DECISION:

As many of you know, Stop the Dump Coalition, in conjunction with the Willamette Valley Wineries Association, Friends of Yamhill County, and McPhillips Farm, has filed a Notice of Intent to Appeal the County ordinance to rezone the dump to farmland with LUBA, the Land Use Board of Appeals.

When we mailed out our Notice of Intent to Appeal, we included a donation envelope in order to collect funds for this legal fight.  THANK YOU to all of the people who have returned those envelopes with checks inside of them!  If you have not already done so, we hope you will be able to donate soon.  

If you are not on our mailing list and would like to donate,  you can do so through our website, right here: http://www.stopthedumpcoalition.org/Legal.cshtml

OR

You can mail a check to:

Stop the Dump Coalition

PO Box 1744

McMinnville, OR 97128

MANY MANY THANKS!

See you on the 19th at the Red Lion

Ilsa

for Stop the Dump Coalition