Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Board approves Addie's Alternative franchise for organics collection with conditions
Loading...
Summary
After the Solid Waste Advisory Committee recommended denial, the Umatilla County board approved Addie's Alternative LLC for a limited solid-waste collection franchise focused on organics and composting, subject to DEQ/county permits and restrictions to avoid supplanting existing franchise services.
The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners voted 2-1 on March 18 to grant Addie's Alternative LLC a solid-waste collection franchise limited to the organics products identified in the company's presentation and conditional on required DEQ and county permits.
Luke Dines, owner of Addie's Alternative, told commissioners his company already hauls large volumes of organics in the county and seeks a franchise primarily to support a new compost facility and to provide a local market for food-processor and farm residuals. "We're trying to launch a new compost facility to reduce food waste in Umatilla County," Dines said in his presentation, adding Addie's handles national clients and moves agricultural volumes that could be turned into compost locally.
Mike McHenry, who chaired the Solid Waste Advisory Committee and spoke to the board, recounted the SWAC's unanimous recommendation to deny Addie's application. McHenry said the committee concluded (1) several existing franchise holders already operate composting/organics programs and have permits, (2) state law includes an agricultural exclusion and MOU that may cover some of the materials Dines currently hauls, and (3) the application as written could overlap or replace existing franchise services.
In response, the board discussed and added conditions designed to limit competition with existing franchise holders: the approval requires that DEQ and county permits be in place for the covered products, restricts collection to materials delivered to Addie's identified compost locations, and explicitly excludes materials currently covered by other franchisees. The motion passed with a recorded "negative" vote from Commissioner Timmons.
What the vote means: Addie's may proceed only after securing the required permits and abiding by the conditions the board set; staff and county counsel will finalize the franchise order language documenting those limits.
Provenance: The board heard staff summary and the SWAC minutes (January/February) and received testimony from the applicant and SWAC leadership before voting.
