Document text
53 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, January 28, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 19, 2004 Rogue Disposal�s Dry Creek Landfill east of Medford, where the Rogue Valley�s trash goes, is also the final resting place for trash from Curry, Josephine and Siskiyou counties. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Siskiyou trash heads to Medford By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune A California county is shipping its garbage to Medford, but it’s all part of the plan. "Currently we get two trucks a day from Siskiyou County," said Don Cordell, manager of Rogue Disposal and Recycling, adding that each trailer carries about 100 cubic yards of waste. The deliveries amount to about 5-10 percent of what the Rogue Valley sends to the landfill. With increased regulations — part of 1986 amendments to the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act — communities are finding that maintaining landfills is too costly, said Cordell. The refuse of about 17,000 people in southern Siskiyou County is being hauled to Medford’s Dry Creek Landfill east of town, according to a Feb. 13 Redding Record Searchlight article. Siskiyou County residents have recently seen their monthly collection fees more than triple to $10, to cover the cost of hauling the trash. Part of the increase helps pay for the closure of the Black Butte Landfill just north of Mount Shasta, which is polluting groundwater in the area. Advertisement In a region that is home to two water bottling companies, Mount Shasta Spring Water and Dannon Natural Spring Water, residents take their groundwater seriously. Siskiyou is joining Curry and Josephine counties, which also use Dry Creek, said Cordell. Humboldt County used to ship trash to Medford, too, but it’s sporadic now because they’ve found a closer site, said Cordell. When the Dry Creek site was selected in the mid-1980s, it was identified as a regional landfill, he said. As landfills in Oregon and California are phasing out, Medford’s, which opened in 1999, is picking up customers. Oregon has gone from 150 to 12 landfills in the past decade, and Medford’s 230-acre Dry Creek landfill is becoming regional, he said. He said the counties are charged a small fee for the use of the landfill. "Our current rates are about $29 a ton," he said, adding that there are about 12 to 20 tons in a truck trailer. He said because Rogue Disposal and Recycling is a private company, the total amount of income derived from other counties’ trash was proprietary and he would not give that information out. He said it’s a benefit to Jackson County residents to have the regional center here, because they don’t have to pay the shipping costs that other counties do. He said Jackson County residents pay 35 to 80 percent less for trash disposal, depending on where they live. Cordell said with liners and materials now required to surround and contain garbage in landfills, costs approach $700,000 per acre to build a modern landfill to guard against pollution, so communities such as Mount Shasta are closing down their landfills. "It’s too expensive to run them," he said. "That’s why South Stage (landfill) closed." Before Dry Creek, Rogue Valley trash went to a landfill on South Stage Road southeast of Jacksonville. That site closed in 1998. Meanwhile Siskiyou County, which began shipping its garbage to Medfordabout six months ago, is reviewing its options, said Cordell. "They’re making up their minds what they want," he said. He said Dry Creek has used up about 30 of its 230 acres, and predicts it has 50 years left. Recycling programs and other efforts have slowed the rate at which the landfill is filling; 43 percent of Jackson County’s solid waste is now recycled. Dry Creek Landfill Estimate of incoming trash Jackson County — 450-500 tons per day. Josephine County — 85-90 tons per day. Curry County — 40 tons per day. Siskiyou County — 20-40 tons per day. Source: Rogue Disposal Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers