Lane County waste disposal fees increase as transfer station changes take effect

LANE COUNTY, Ore. — People bringing waste to Lane County transfer sites will pay more beginning Monday, August 10 as new disposal fees, reduced operating hours and a transfer station closure take effect.

Fees at county transfer sites are increasing by 5%, while the minimum disposal fee is rising by $10 to $25. Commercial haulers disposing of waste at Short Mountain Landfill will not see changes to their disposal fees.

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The changes are part of a plan approved by Lane County commissioners to address a roughly $3 million budget shortfall in the county’s Waste Management Division.

According to Lane County spokesperson Devon Ashbridge, the shortfall developed after Waste Connections, which owns Sanipac, EcoSort and County Waste & Transfer, began hauling waste generated in Lane County to a company-owned landfill in Medford rather than disposing of it locally.

“Those fees that help support the rest of that system have shrunk precipitously over the last couple of years, and in order to close that gap, we’ve had to make a number of changes,” Ashbridge said. “One that will affect any individual bringing waste to a transfer site is that we are going to raise fees at those sites.”

Other changes also begin Monday.

The Walton Transfer Station is closing, meaning residents who previously used the facility will need to take their waste to transfer stations in Swisshome or Veneta.

Operating hours are also being reduced at the Creswell and Veneta transfer stations.

• Creswell Transfer Site (34293 Cloverdale Road): Creswell will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday. It will be open Friday and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Veneta Transfer Site (24444 Bolton Hill Road): Veneta will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. It will be open Wednesday–Saturday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

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