Landfill Closing? Pausing? Messing with Us?

 It's Thursday, June 17th, and the rumors are flying:  The landfill has closed!  For good!  The landfill is turning away "self-haulers," who bring their own household waste to the dump.  The landfill has broken its contract with Recology, refusing to let the south County hauler dump its garbage there.

What is going on?

The City of Amity tried to alert its citizens on the 18th, but had little to go on:

Good morning Amity business owners and operators,

I spoke with Recology today. They state that Riverbend Landfill will close beginning June 19th. Although this closure is supposed to be "temporary," when asked for a duration, Recology said the closure may be for "multiple months or years." During this closure, no vehicles public, commercial, or private will be authorized to dump there. So, private parties and contractors seeking to use the dump should go to either Coffin Butte (if able) or to their transfer station on Orchard Ave in McMinnville.  However, expect traffic and processing delays at the transfer center as Recology adjusts to the new demand. Recology will continue curbside trash pickup in Amity.

This may result in rate increases for all Recology customers throughout their entire service area. Further information will be forthcoming from Recology and presented to our City Council.

Sincerely,

Michael D. Thomas, City Administrator

Unfortunately the County was not able to do the same, as Riverbend did not bother to notify the entity that granted its license to operate!

Eventually, Waste Management released two "officials" letters,

one unsigned on June 18 and another a week later directed to the state Department of Environmental Quality by Jim Denson, Waste Management's Environmental Protection Manager,

 

 

 

In its letters, Waste Management asserts that it is "pausing" acceptance of waste other than soils until it can build up a side slope to create a bench for deposit of additional garbage.  Waste Management blames this "pause" on "delays" in its expansion, with no acknowledgement that the County has denied its expansion request or that the denial has been upheld by the Land Use Court of Appeals and not appealed by Riverbend.  In other words, expansion denial is FINAL.

Could it be that Waste Management is just a poor loser?