The year was 1988, and residents of rural Gilliam County had an important decision to make.

Would they become the site of a new dump where Portland sends its trash?

The city had previously disposed of its garbage in the St. Johns Landfill near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, but that facility was nearing capacity. Building a new landfill elsewhere in the metro area was proving unpopular, so officials had to consider other alternatives.

Waste Management already operated one hazardous waste dump south of Arlington, 137 miles east of Portland up the Columbia River Gorge. The company proposed building a second landfill to take Portland’s trash, which would also create new jobs and revenue for Gilliam County — population 2,005.

Then-county judge Laura Pryor decided to take the idea to her neighbors and constituents, meeting them at coffee shops, backyard barbecues and in their homes. They ultimately decided it was a good thing, with some even wearing pins to public meetings that read “Portland’s trash is Gilliam County’s cash.” 

Columbia Ridge Landfill opened in 1990, and has gone on to become the county’s largest employer.

“I think it’s a really good example of a symbiotic relationship between two communities that, from an outsider, couldn’t be more different,” said Elizabeth Farrar Campbell, the current county judge, who was just 10 or 11 years old when the partnership began.

‘A better environment’

Today, Columbia Ridge Landfill receives about 500,000 tons of garbage every year from Metro, the regional government entity that regulates Portland’s trash disposal.

The 12,000-acre landfill also takes trash from the city of Seattle and Kitsap and Skagit counties in Washington. A 10,000-acre buffer surrounds the site 10 miles south of Arlington, preserved for wildlife habitat, wheat farming, cattle ranching and wind turbines. 

Metro renewed its 10-year contract with Waste Management in 2020 to haul garbage to Columbia Ridge, with options for two, five-year extensions. 

“Columbia Ridge in Gilliam County plays an important role in our region’s solid waste system, and is an important part of rural Oregon’s economy,” said Lynn Peterson, Metro Council president. “I’m proud that we’re an active partner in rural Oregon’s economy.” 

Dave Rettell, area director of disposal operations for Waste Management, said Columbia Ridge Landfill has the capacity to continue running for another 120 years based on volume projections from customers, including Metro.

Eastern Oregon is a good place for the landfill, Rettell said, in part because of its drier weather to protect against contaminants seeping into groundwater.

“You are in a better environment to put a landfill on the east side of the Cascades,” he said. 

The facility is also fitted with modern environmental protections, including a double liner system to capture any leaching and run the water into nearby ponds to evaporate. In 2009, Columbia Ridge began capturing landfill gas from decaying garbage on the site which it uses to generate 12.8 megawatts of renewable electricity, or enough for 12,500 homes. 

Waste Management plans to install technology at the landfill to turn that biogas — largely methane — into pipeline-quality renewable natural gas, or RNG. When Columbia Ridge injects RNG into the interstate pipeline system, the company will generate credits under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard. Participating in the EPA program allows Waste Management to allocate RNG to its natural gas-powered trucks in Oregon, Washington and California.

RNG emits less greenhouse gases than fossil fuels, providing cleaner air for communities, Rettell said.

That facility is expected to break ground in 2024 and come online in 2025.

Economic benefits

Farrar Campbell said the landfill has been a valuable economic engine for the county.

Not only does it provide 140 family-wage jobs, but generates millions of dollars in annual host fees that go toward road maintenance, workforce housing, Main Street revitalization projects, access to early childhood education and a Homestead Rebate Program for local homeowners.

Between Waste Management and several large wind farms, Farrar Campbell said the county is able to punch above its weight providing services.

“It’s really been a tremendous blessing for us,” she said. “We would have a pretty modest tax base without those industries here.”

Waste Management paid $1.5 million to the county in host fees in 2022. Beyond that, the company has contributed $8,000 per year toward college scholarships for high school students in Arlington and Condon, and $25,000 per year to the Oregon Frontier Chamber of Commerce, which represents Gilliam, Sherman and Wheeler counties. 

Jackie Lang, a company spokeswoman, said Columbia Ridge stands as an example of one of the state’s most successful urban-rural bridges. 

Farrar Campbell agreed, saying she believes the landfill will continue to be a staple of the county for decades to come. 

“We are open for business, and want to keep hosting Waste Management,” she said. “They are really critical to the work we’re doing in Gilliam County.” 

George Plaven is a reporter for the Capital Press in Salem.