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Trial waste plan succeeds Photo by Jim Craven Ray Malahy is one of about 900 customers in a Rogue Disposal pilot program that collects yard debris for composting. But it will be some time before the popular service is expanded beyond a small part of northeast Medford. Rest of Medford will have to wait for yard debris compost pick-up By DAVID PRESZLER Medford home owners dreaming of the day when someone will take away the lawn clippings, weeds and other yard waste that pile up this time of year will have to wait awhile. Despite the success of a year-old pilot program in northeast Medford, Rogue Disposal and Recycling manager Don Cordell says it will be 2001 or 2002 before the company offers yard waste pickup and commingled recycling service citywide. "There's a high level of interest in yard waste," says Cordell. "We think it's a good idea and we're trying our damnedest to get this going as fast as we can." Last spring, the company began offering roughly 900 customers in the Delta Waters-Lone Pine roads area the option of getting the additional service. For $3.50 a month, customers get a 95-gallon can for yard debris and a 65-gallon can for commingled recycling. About 400 customers have signed up for the program. "It's going well," Cordell says. "We're very excited about the program." But offering it throughout Rogue Disposal's service area is a more complex matter. Right now, the yard waste is trucked to a small compost facility at the Dry Creek Landfill that can handle up to 5,000 tons a year. Cordell says Rogue Disposal anticipates 12,000 to 20,000 tons a year will come in when the service is offered everywhere. Rogue Disposal is planning to build a larger compost facility outside White City, near the Dry Creek landfill. But the Jackson County Planning Commission is still considering whether to permit the project to go forward; some neighbors have objected to the location. Once the land-use issues are settled, Rogue Disposal must also get a state Department of Environmental Quality permit. Cordell hopes the new $2 million facility will be ready to go by late summer. He says it's key to how fast the program can grow. "Until we are successful in getting that permitted, we are only going to be able to expand on a limited basis," he says. The Delta Waters-Lone Pine area was chosen for the pilot program because it was well-suited for the automated trucks that lift the containers, Cordell says. Automated dumping is necessary because the 95-gallon yard-waste containers can be so heavy. The company plans to expand the pilot program this summer, though Cordell says it has not decided which neighborhoods will get the service next. Once the compost facility issue is solved, the service will be offered as quickly as Rogue Disposal can afford to buy the carts, the trucks and equipment. Cordell says the commingled recycling will progress even slower, because of the need for expensive, custom-designed equipment. The expanded service has drawn praise from those who have it. On alternating weeks, the yard-waste and commingled recycling bins are picked up with the regular trash. "I really like it," Lynn Anderson said as she weeded flower beds in front of her Rosewood Street home. "It's good in the spring and fall, especially." Though he doesn't fill his bins up every two weeks, Provincial Street resident Ray Malahy said the service is worth the money. "It comes in handy when you get your heavy clippings," he said as he paused while mowing his lawn. Cordell offered a ray of hope for the unlucky residents outside the pilot program area wondering what to do with yard waste. Currently, the White City transfer station doesn't have a special rate or place for yard debris. Such waste is simply mixed in with other trash at the $10.50 minimum. But Rogue Disposal is trying to get a permit for a special yard debris drop-off at the transfer station at a lower rate. The site would accept as much yard waste as it can without exceeding the 5,000-ton-a-year limit on the current compost facility. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA