Benton County SWAC, DSAC members review Trash Talks work‑group drafts and prepare for polling on landfill recommendations

Ken, chair of the Solid Waste Advisory Council (SWAC), convened a joint work session of SWAC and DSAC on March 15 to review subcommittee drafts produced for the county's “Trash Talks” work group and to discuss next steps in public outreach and an informal polling process of the work group.

The meeting focused on three connected topics: (1) subcommittee findings on landfill capacity and longevity, (2) the draft Sustainable Materials Management Plan (SMMP) and how SWAC/DSAC will participate in the consultant selection and review process, and (3) the county's planned public outreach and an informal polling period the work group will use to signal support or objection to findings and recommendations.

Why it matters: the council members said the compiled report and the public outreach could influence future land‑use decisions, including any conditional‑use permit (CUP) application related to landfill expansion. Members stressed the report is intended for the Board of Commissioners and the Planning Commission and could inform later quasi‑judicial review.

Members reported that county staff has planned a multichannel outreach “blitz” including postcards to every Benton County resident, TV and radio ads, and social media notices. Marge Popp, a SWAC member and an ambassador to the Trash Talks work group, said, “a robust multichannel outreach was to…