Facts About Riverbend Landfill

Background information for Community Pulse survey on Riverbend expansion

Owner: Texas-based Waste Management, Inc.

Location: 2.5 miles southwest of McMinnville, adjacent to Highway 18 and the South Yamhill River.

Solid Waste Sources: An estimated 510,000 tons of solid waste was disposed at Riverbend in 2014, with about 34 percent coming from Yamhill County. Of the remainder, about 75 percent was estimated to be from Washington County.

Landfill Life: A berm under construction will allow Riverbend Landfill to operate about two years at current disposal rates. A second berm could add two more years. After that, Riverbend options would be closure, or expansion.

Expansion Proposal: The Yamhill County Commission has approved zoning to allow expansion of Riverbend Landfill onto 37 adjacent acres. The county also required onsite development of a green technology facility within seven years. The action would extend Riverbend's life by about 25 years. The expansion proposal has been appealed to the Yamhill County Commission, which has scheduled a public hearing for Thursday, March 12.

Yamhill County Revenue: Waste Management, Inc. pays Yamhill County between $1.1 million and $1.2 million in annual "host fees," at current rates of disposal.

Restricting Wastes: Yamhill County cannot require Riverbend to stop accepting out-of-county wastes. Limiting disposal to Yamhill County wastes would conflict with Riverbend's long-term contracts with regional waste haulers. Riverbend officials say waste disposal rates would increase significantly if disposal were limited to Yamhill County.

Impact of Closure: Closure of Riverbend would require development of a new local transfer station for collection of solid wastes to be shipped elsewhere. Closure would increase disposal rates significantly, say Riverbend officials. Riverbend opponents say economic and environmental benefits of closure would offset any disposal rate increase.