Benton County consultants present regional plan calling for a regional waste authority, intermodal hubs and new recovery infrastructure

Consultants who led Benton County’s Sustainable Materials Management Task Force presented a final report to the Board of Commissioners recommending a regional collaboration to reduce landfill disposal, new transfer and recovery infrastructure and state-level policy changes to support reuse and circular building materials. Sean (Benton County staff member) opened the presentation and said the effort sought “to address, explore and find solutions” across the region.

The task force’s report frames the work around two central problems: reducing the amount of material generated and improving the region’s ability to manage landfill-bound material if Coffin Butte’s availability declines. Joel Schaining, a consultant on the project, told the board the team analyzed state data and the region’s material flows and found the state produces about 6,000,000 tons of landfill material annually, of which roughly 2,400,000 tons are currently recovered — “about 84% of the state generation,” Schaining said. The consultants emphasized that while the Northwest region currently diverts more material than other parts of Oregon, there remains a sizable residual waste stream that requires regional infrastructure and planning.

Why it matters: the consultants showed that much of the Mid-Willamette and surrounding counties depend on a small set of disposal options. The presentation identified a 13-county study area and a core seven-county Mid Willamette Valley region that is especially dependent on Coffin Butte: in the narrower seven-county area, presenters said about 97% of landfilled material currently goes to Coffin Butte. In a broader 10-county perspective, approximately 60% of material goes to Coffin Butte. Those flows, the consultants argued, create resiliency and cost risks if local disposal capacity declines.

Key recommendations presented

- Create regional governance: The report’s lead recommendation is establishing a regional waste authority (the consultants described multiple legal/organizational options, including intergovernmental agreements or a more formal authority) to coordinate siting, capital investments and policy across counties. Consultants said an authority could be organized to prioritize…