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Umatilla County sets curbside recycling rates inside urban growth areas, declines to extend service countywide
Summary
The county approved $8/month residential and $24/month multifamily curbside recycling rates inside urban growth boundaries as required under Oregon's Recycling Modernization Act, and declined to approve the same rates for unincorporated areas outside UGBs.
Umatilla County commissioners on May 6 approved franchise recycling rates for areas inside the counties' urban growth boundaries and declined to apply those rates to unincorporated areas outside UGBs.
Bob Walter, the county's development staff, told the board the Recycling Modernization Act (RMA) requires cities over 4,000 residents and their UGBs to be offered curbside recycling. He said the Solid Waste Advisory Committee recommended an $8-per-month charge for every-other-week single-family service and $24 per month for multifamily service. "The cost that are eligible for reimbursement through the RMA include those upfront costs," Walter said, naming trucks, recycling bins and depot infrastructure as reimbursable items. Operational costs, he added, are not eligible for state reimbursement.
Commissioners discussed whether to extend the same subscription-based rates into rural unincorporated areas. Staff said the state may conduct another needs assessment in 2028 for communities that opt out now, leaving open the possibility of future funding. Derek Randa, a franchise representative on the call, said subscription pricing and hauling distances for rural customers would change the cost structure and should be revisited if the county chose to extend service.
The board voted to approve the SWAC-recommended rates for franchise areas within the UGBs for Pendleton Sanitary and Hermiston Sanitary and to not approve the proposed extension of the service or rates to unincorporated areas outside the UGB at this time.
The decision sets local rates required to implement state law for the affected cities and their UGBs; commissioners noted that residents outside the UGB will continue to have recycling depot options and that eligibility for future state reimbursement could enable expansion later. The board did not record roll-call vote tallies in the meeting transcript; actions were approved by voice vote and recorded as passed.
