Why?

Who is Waste Not of Yamhill County and why are we opposing the landfill expansion?

County residents who want to help Yamhill County make informed decisions about handling solid waste in the 21st century formed a new organization, Waste Not of Yamhill County.  The mission of Waste Not of Yamhill County is to oppose the expansion of Riverbend Landfill and to promote alternative solutions for solid waste disposal. Waste Not recognizes that the County has a window of opportunity, now, to explore waste disposal options that both protect the environment and benefit the community economically, creating family-wage jobs while protecting our thriving local tourism and agricultural industries.

Waste Not is joining other voices in the community ­­– Farm Bureau, the Soil & Water Conservation District, Bumperfuel Group, Willamette Valley Wineries Association and many more small businesses and individuals – who oppose the landfill expansion. 

Yamhill County is fortunate that our solid waste-handling contract is coming up for renewal in six years. We have ample time to analyze and bid on new solid waste disposal methods that do not depend on the archaic use of landfills. We want the residents of our county, not a Texas corporation, to take control of and make decisions regarding our waste issues. It is important that we do not miss this opportunity and get locked in to another twenty-year contract and a growing mountain of out-of-county trash marring the beauty of our county.

Alternative waste disposal options such as enhanced recycling/zero waste, digester-to-fuel systems, cellulosic ethanol conversion, gasification and plasma arc technology, would provide more jobs and also increase the revenue going to our county government. These alternatives also have the potential to lower, not increase, the garbage fees of individuals and businesses in our county. Trash, once thought to be a necessary evil taken to the dump, is now coveted as a usable, money-generating commodity processed to make fuel. We are encouraging Waste Management, the Texas based owner of Riverbend, to implement one of these newer technologies here in Yamhill County. If not Waste Management, there are other competitive corporations that have a strong financial incentive to provide inexpensive solid waste services that use environmentally beneficial green technology.

Our efforts to stop the expansion have been validated by the Yamhill County Planning Commission. In January the Planning Commission unanimously voted to deny Riverbend’s expansion application. On March 19^th the application will go before the Yamhill County Commissioners for their vote. We encourage all concerned Yamhill county residents to attend.