Haulers say CleanLane waste facility could drive up garbage rates

EUGENE: A group representing Lane County’s garbage and recycling haulers has launched a new website aimed at scrutinizing the county’s planned CleanLane Resource Recovery Facility, a $174 million solid-waste sorting project proposed for Goshen.

The Lane County Garbage and Recycling Association announced the launch of CleanLane.exposed, a site it says is intended to compile public records, meeting materials and other documents related to the project, formerly known as the Integrated Materials and Energy Recovery Facility, or IMERF. The association argues the information raises questions about the project’s long-term costs, contract requirements and potential impacts on ratepayers.

“The solid waste haulers in Lane County are concerned about the financial impact of future disposal rate increases on the ratepayers we serve,” said Katy Pelroy, a representative of the association. “We wanted to put this website together to document the full story of CleanLane. Lane County has certain information on their website for CleanLane, and what our website does is document other information given during public meetings or obtained through public records requests and provide additional context as the project has progressed.”

According to the association, documents obtained through public records requests show potential challenges tied to the project’s contract with Bulk Handling Systems (BHS), the private company developing the facility. Under the contract, Lane County is required to deliver 120,000 tons of “acceptable material,” defined as municipal solid waste, to the facility each year.

The association contends that county-generated waste volumes fall short of that threshold and that the contract does not include guarantees to make up the difference. If those tonnage requirements are not met, the county could face penalties of $78.69 per ton, which the association estimates could total more than $3 million in fees in 2025 if the facility were operational. Those fees would be paid to BHS.

“Lane County is in a real predicament with the contract they signed,” Pelroy said. “They don’t have enough acceptable material, and they haven’t for several years. There were opportunities for commissioners and staff to not move forward with the contract as outlined, but the county is now potentially on the hook for millions of dollars in fees.”

The CleanLane project advanced through a series of 3-2 votes by the Lane County Board of Commissioners in December 2023 and August 2024. Commissioners Heather Buch, Laurie Trieger and Pat Farr voted in favor of moving the project forward, approving a 25-year draft contract with BHS. The contract was finalized and signed in October 2024.

County documents show the facility is designed to process residential garbage and is projected to cost Lane County about $11.1 million annually over 25 years, with approximately $9.2 million per year paid to BHS.

Supporters of the project have said the facility would modernize the county’s waste system and increase material recovery, while critics have raised concerns about rising costs, unproven diversion claims and long-term financial risk.

The Lane County Garbage and Recycling Association represents locally owned waste-collection and recycling companies across the county. The group says its goal is to advocate for transparent government decision-making, responsible solid-waste policy and protections for customers and communities affected by major waste-management investments.