It's official. Riverbend Landfill is pulling the plug on waste from Metro. (Metro is the agency that handles garbage for Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas Counties.) After years
of ignoring citizens' concerns about the leaking, stench-producing
dump, Metro appears to be admitting that January 2017 will be the last month its garbage will be
deposited next to the South Yamhill River.
Waste Management (WM, Riverbend's Texas-based corporate owner) told Metro earlier this week:
"Because of legal issues and emerging capacity limitations, Waste Management has decided that Riverbend Landfill will no longer be an available option for Metro-area waste for at least the next few months and, potentially, years. WM is seeking to prolong the life of Riverbend until its legal appeals and lateral expansion have been resolved. WM also intends to serve its local, coastal and Willamette Valley customer base while these legal issues are resolved."
The waste involved comes mainly from Washington County, but represents about 2/3 of the waste deposited at Riverbend in any given month (about 320,000 tons). If this waste were to continue to come to Riverbend, the landfill would reach capacity around July 1, 2016. Restricting waste to Yamhill County and coastal areas will add an additional ten months to the landfill's life.
Waste Management (WM, Riverbend's Texas-based corporate owner) told Metro earlier this week:
"Because of legal issues and emerging capacity limitations, Waste Management has decided that Riverbend Landfill will no longer be an available option for Metro-area waste for at least the next few months and, potentially, years. WM is seeking to prolong the life of Riverbend until its legal appeals and lateral expansion have been resolved. WM also intends to serve its local, coastal and Willamette Valley customer base while these legal issues are resolved."
The waste involved comes mainly from Washington County, but represents about 2/3 of the waste deposited at Riverbend in any given month (about 320,000 tons). If this waste were to continue to come to Riverbend, the landfill would reach capacity around July 1, 2016. Restricting waste to Yamhill County and coastal areas will add an additional ten months to the landfill's life.
Metro staff interprets WM's statement to mean that "Riverbend will only be available during a transitional period to Columbia Ridge (ending on
about February 1). Riverbend will remain available but only in the case of an emergency or
unusual circumstance after February 1." Metro is in the process of making arrangements to send garbage to either Columbia Ridge or Coffin Butte landfills after that date
Although Waste Management is only now acknowledging that the landfill will have to shut its doors if waste keeps pouring in, that particular bit of handwriting has been on the wall for quite some time. The Oregon Court of Appeals is currently considering appeals by both WM and landfill opponents of a County-approved expansion. Any decision by the COA could be appealed to the state Supreme Court, a process that could take years. Then, should WM win its appeals, it must still obtain approvals from several state and federal agencies.
While Metro develops plans for a more responsible solution to its waste disposal needs, McMinnville
waste hauler Recology is moving forward with construction of an
advanced transfer station. A local transfer station will enable
Recology to take waste to any appropriate disposal site.
It is past time for the Yamhill County Commissioners to recognize reality, stop being bull-dozed by the largest garbage company in the world, and start making plans for an environmentally sound alternative to disposing of the county's waste.
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