TrashTalk Workgroup: Future Deleted
[This was a public comment at the first Trash Talk Workgroup meeting] Gee, I’m old enough to remember back when this workgroup was going to explore the future of solid…
New County Workgroup is Fraught
Because the last application to expand the landfill (LU-21-047) was so contentious, Benton County hired an independent third party to recommend something different. We were initially hopeful when Darren Nichols,…
The Backstory
In the summer of 2021, Republic Services applied to Benton County for permission to expand the Coffin Butte Landfill… again (they’ve expanded a number of times in the past). This…
Terrible location for a landfill, environmentally
Coffin Butte Landfill is situated in one of the wettest parts of the Willamette Valley, on geologically complex land. This poses significant environmental problems. The wetter the climate, the more…
Coffin Butte Landfill NOT owned or operated by Benton County
Republic Services, Inc., a for-profit, out-of-state corporation, owns and operates the landfill through a subsidiary corporation, Valley Landfills, Inc. (VLI). VLI reaps the landfill’s profits and shares a tiny percentage…
If any expansion south of Coffin Butte Road is approved, landfill intake limit is removed
A clause in the 2020 Landfill Franchise Agreement (FA) between Republic Services and Benton County is worded such that if any expansion onto the property south of Coffin Butte Road…
Landfill owner flouts the rules
Another reason to not allow any new expansion: Republic Services has repeatedly flouted the rules (such as conditions of approval in land use applications for past expansions) and gotten away…
