Wood‑waste market collapse forces temporary landfill disposal and disrupts transfer‑station operations

Waste Connections told the committee that regional wood‑waste markets tightened sharply, and local processors cut or reduced the tonnage they would accept as hog fuel and other wood‑fuel products.

Josh Brown, representing Waste Connections, said mills that once accepted large volumes of wood fuel have reduced intake over the past one to two months. The company moved nearly 3,000 tons of wood chips to an out‑of‑county landfill in a few weeks and has taken other wood loads to composting sites where distance and trucking cost made the alternative uneconomic. “We made the decision and work with the city, the county, Ecology as well to landfill a lot of that material,” Brown said, saying the decision addressed an immediate fire‑risk and safety concern at a lower yard piled with wood.

Brown said the county and processor temporarily adjusted tip fees at transfer stations to allow material to be landfilled, which cleared yards but increased trucking and disposal costs. He said wood going into the landfill has caused operational challenges — some wood can bind inside containers and cause backlogs at tippers and at the receiving landfill. Brown said the company has sent some wood to a compost facility up north but the majority required long‑haul trucking to disposal.

Brown also reported a rise in third‑party traffic at transfer stations (self‑haul customers) and recurring equipment control issues at one compactor that intermittently slows compactor cycles and reduces throughput; resolving those controls issues may require code or controller board work by manufacturers.

Company representatives and county staff described the current wood situation as temporary but uncertain. They said continued market instability for clean‑wood and hog fuel could require long‑term operational changes or capital investments; the county and private operators plan to monitor markets and report back in future meetings.