Surprise rejection at Riverbend Landfill

Whatchama Column
By Jeb Bladine

Riverbend Landfill annoyed me this week — actually, “infuriated” better describes my initial feelings about a major inconvenience due to rules that nobody knows. But I calmed down long enough to do some research on solid waste disposal in northwest Oregon.

It turns out, there actually is method behind the madness that had me snarling at Riverbend manager George Duvendack.
First, the madness part: Our family cleaned out old contents of a mobile home in Beaverton last weekend, returning with a trailer full of mixed “dry waste.” Its final destination, I thought, would be Riverbend Landfill on Monday morning.

“Where is all this from?” the check-in lady asked. I answered honestly, thinking it was just a normal survey to track the flow of solid waste.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “you’ll have to take it back to a Portland-area facility.”

I was dumbstruck. I heard her explain that Riverbend cannot accept dry waste materials generated in the tri-county Metro area. But all I could think of was those hundreds of truckloads of household garbage that Metro-area haulers bring to Riverbend, with all manner of dry waste mixed in.

After the madness subsided, I decided to research the method. I learned about EDWRP, the Enhanced Dry Waste Recovery Program run by Metro in Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties. Here’s a thumbnail version:

Dry waste primarily is construction/demolition debris, but it also includes furniture and all throwaway items not mixed with putrescible wastes. Under rules in effect since mid-2009, all dry waste generated in the Metro area must be delivered to Metro-authorized material recovery centers for sorting out everything that can be recycled.

Riverbend, by agreement with Metro, will not bend that rule, as I learned the hard way. That same rigid policy begins March 1 at the Newberg Transfer Site when that operation officially becomes owned by Waste Management, Inc., Riverbend’s parent company.

I’m speculating that many Washington County residents take dry wastes to Newberg. After all, its dumping fees, like those at Riverbend, are far lower than costs at Metro landfills and recovery facilities. So, lots of people are going to experience that feeling of angry disbelief I had Monday morning at Riverbend.

Some will lie about the source of their trash; others will accept the legitimate effort to reduce what we put into landfills. Here in Yamhill County, until EDWRP comes our way, we’ll just keep taking our dry wastes to low-cost Riverbend.

Jeb Bladine is editor and publisher of the News-Register.