Tag: Solid Waste Management

A task force assembled by Benton County has concluded the first phase of work on a regional Sustainable Materials Management Plan. Representatives of the group will present their findings to the Benton County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, June 17 in a meeting scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.

The meeting will be held at the County’s Kalapuya building at 4500 SW Research Way in Corvallis. Members of the public are welcome to attend in person or virtually. More information is available on the Board of Commissioners Meeting Portal.

Sustainable development and environmental stewardship are priorities for Benton County leadership and the Board of Commissioners. In spring 2024 they committed to searching for ways to dramatically reduce the amount of solid waste at the end of the materials life cycle — trash, recycling and compost — by addressing the beginning (production) and middle (reuse and repair) of that life cycle. The County began assembling a group of experts and decision-makers from throughout the region.

The resulting SMMP task force includes City and County government elected officials and staff, state agency representatives and experts and innovators in sustainable materials and solid waste management. At a kickoff meeting in October 2024, four subcommittees were created to consider policy initiatives, necessary investments, cross-governmental collaboration and programmatic recommendations.

Subcommittees dedicated to food & organics, the built environment and products & packaging evaluated case studies of policies that state and local government can pursue to reduce life cycle material impacts. The resulting recommendations support the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality ’s Material Management Program priorities.

The fourth subcommittee, focused on regional solid waste management, looked at solutions to proactively prepare for the closure of the Coffin Butte landfill sometime around 2037. Coffin Butte receives waste from 11 counties in northwest Oregon.

“The time to act is now. Solid waste facilities are notoriously time-consuming to get site approval for,” said Bailey Payne, solid waste coordinator for Benton County. “Any facility investments recommended by this committee will take many years to come to fruition.”

Cost is another challenge that requires local and state governments working together. “Collaboration between communities will allow the region to look at solutions that would otherwise be cost-prohibitive to any individual jurisdiction,” said Payne.

A final report on the work of the SMMP task force will be developed in July. It will include context and data, key findings and recommendations for each subcommittee and for systemic challenges facing our region. The recommendations will be organized to identify the key partners that have the greatest opportunity to implement systemic change. Actions need to be taken at all levels of government as well as private and non-profit sectors.

“It is in the best interest of the region — from Metro to Lane County — to continue the excellent work of this current SMMP task force,” says Marion County Commissioner Kevin Cameron. “We will need regional efforts and collaboration to take advantage of local opportunities.”

State Representative Sarah Finger McDonald, who represents Benton County, submitted legislation that would create a solid waste task force in the Willamette Valley to continue this much-needed work. Under House Bill 3794, this new group would move ahead with the findings and recommendations of the current task force to submit a report to the Oregon Legislature in 2026.

Learn more about the regional SMMP Task Force at https://boc.bentoncountyor.gov/smmp-task-force/.

Benton County and Republic Services are partnering to host a webinar about statewide changes to recycling guidelines and access set to take effect on July 1. Anyone can register through Zoom to watch the virtual presentation scheduled for Tuesday, June 10 from 6-7 p.m.

All community members are invited to participate and learn how Oregon’s recycling system is changing, why it is changing and what residents need to know to recycle right moving forward. Time will be provided for questions about the new recycling rules and how they are being implemented in Benton County.

The July 1 changes are results of Oregon’s Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act (RMA) passed in 2021. The RMA aims to reduce plastic pollution, improve access to recycling and create more sustainable waste management practices across the state.

“With the RMA, Oregon is a leader in creating a more efficient, equitable and effective recycling system,” says Bailey Payne, solid waste program coordinator for the County. “Working together with Republic Services, we can reach more people through outreach and education, thereby increasing the impact of these changes.”

The RMA is intended to modernize the state’s recycling system and make it more robust. Key components include:

• Incentives for producers to use more recyclable materials in packaging.
• A single, statewide list of recyclable materials to reduce confusion and expand what can be recycled in many parts of the state.
• Access to recycling in all communities, including multifamily housing units and rural areas.
• New performance standards and accountability practices for recycling facilities.

Those who wish to view the webinar can register online. A recording of the webinar will be posted to Benton County’s YouTube channel.