Coffin Butte Landfill
Coffin Butte Landfill
JUMP TO: About the Landfill | CUP Application Timeline | The Decision Process | Benton County Code | Background: BCTT
What’s New
On March 19, 2025, Benton County announced the schedule for the public hearing on Republic Services’ CUP application for the proposed expansion of the landfill. The following dates have been set for the hearing before the Benton County Planning Commission. Please note this is the expected schedule based estimates of the time needed; it is subject to change.
| Tuesday, April 29, 6 – 9 p.m. | Day 1: Staff report, applicant presentation and start public (verbal) testimony if time permits |
| Thursday, May 1, 6 – 9 p.m. | Day 2: Start or continue public testimony (verbal) |
| Tuesday, May 6, 6 – 9 p.m. | Day 3: Continue public testimony as necessary |
| Tuesday, June 17, 6 p.m. – complete | Day 4: Deliberations and decision |
The hearing will be held at the County’s Kalapuya Building at 4500 SW Research Way in Corvallis, OR.
Get involved
Receive schedule and status updates.
Sign up as an Interested Party to receive updates about the status of the CUP application and changes or additions to the schedule.
Submit written comment.
Members of the public can now submit written testimony about the CUP application. Planning Commissioners will receive the full text of all written comment submitted. It will not be edited or summarized.
There are four ways to submit written testimony:
Regular Mail
Benton County Community Development
4500 SW Research Way
Corvallis, OR 97333-1139
Email
publiccomment@bentoncountyor.gov
Deliver in-person
Community Development is located on the second floor of the Kalapuya Building at 4500 SW Research Way in Corvallis, OR. The office is open Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Timeline for Written Testimony
- Comments submitted by 5 p.m. on April 21 (8 days before the hearing begins) will be included in the Planning Division staff report for the Planning Commission and agency referral partners.
- Written testimony received after the staff report is posted and up to the start of the public hearing will be delivered in hard copy to the Planning Commission.
- Written testimony submitted during the public hearing should be handed to the meeting recorder, who will add it to the official record.
The deadline to submit written testimony will be determined by the length of the Public Hearing. As long as it is open, written public comments will be accepted into the record. Once all verbal testimony is received, the Planning Commission chair will determine when the Public Hearing should be closed. The schedule provided above is planned and expected, but those dates are not guaranteed as less time might be required for verbal testimony.
After the public hearing, all written comments that were not in the original staff report will be added to the record and posted to the County website in one action.
Sign up to deliver verbal comment (coming around April 22).
Members of the public can also sign up to share verbal testimony during the hearing. An online sign-up system will be released about a week before the hearing begins (around April 22, 2025). Anyone registered as an Interested Party will receive notification of this event.
Verbal testimony will be captured in the meeting recording, becoming part of the official record. It will also be posted to the County’s website for public viewing.
Although the verbal option will be available, the community is encouraged to provide written comments in advance so Planning Commission members, County staff and the public have time to consider all perspectives and prepare to respond at the hearing. This also allows for the most efficient use of meeting time.
About the Landfill
Coffin Butte Landfill in Benton County takes in waste from several counties in the mid-Willamette Valley and Oregon Coast.
History
The landfill was created in the1940s by the U.S. Army for waste disposal from the former Camp Adair. It was expanded and designated a regional landfill under the 1974 Chemeketa Region Solid Waste Management Program, a cooperative effort between Benton, Linn, Marion, Yamhill and Polk Counties. Valley Landfills, Inc., purchased it in 1975 for use as a municipal landfill. Republic Services, Inc. become the parent company of the landfill in a 2008 merger.
For more historical background see this detailed landfill timeline.
Size and Development
The landfill site comprises 740 acres. Of that, only 178 acres are permitted for waste disposal (including the quarry). The site includes 40 acres of wetlands and 556 acres dedicated to preservation and non-landfill operations.
Regulation
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) manages three permits for the facility that regulate air, land and water quality. Renewal of the Title V air quality permit is in process. (updated 2/4/25) Learn more >
Benton County regulates land use and building for the facility.
Proposed Landfill Expansion
Conditional Use Permit (CUP) Application
The full text of Republic Services’ CUP application can be viewed on the Munidocs platform. Please note that Benton County posts and shares submitted documents as they are received from applicants, without converting to other formats, to maintain objectivity and document integrity.
- Landfill expansion application (submitted July 19, 2024)
- Revised application (submitted Oct. 30, 2024)
- Application Burden of Proof (submitted Jan. 15, 2025)
- First Addendum to Burden of Proof (submitted March 14, 2025)
CUP Application Timeline
July 19, 2024
Republic Services submits a CUP application to expand the Coffin Butte landfill, starting the clock on the 180 days allowed to reach Complete status by Benton County Code 51.535. This sets the ultimate deadline for a Complete application as Jan. 15, 2025.
After submission, Benton County has 30 days to respond to the applicant.
Aug. 16, 2024
After careful review by the Benton County Planning Division and an independent consultant, the County sends an Incompleteness Letter to Republic Services. It explains the deficiencies in the application.
Oct. 30, 2024
Republic Services submits a revised CUP application that contains substantial additional information, including technical reports and analysis.
Dec. 11, 2024
After careful review by the Benton County Planning Division and an independent consultant, the County meets with Republic Services through Zoom to discuss the application, requesting additional narrative detail about some of the exhibits submitted.
Jan. 15, 2025
Republic submits supplemental information to Benton County, bringing the application to the point that it meets the qualifications to be deemed Complete.
The “Complete” designation does not mean Republic Services’ application was deemed to be thorough or containing conclusions that the Planning Division agrees with. It is a legal term that indicates the application meets the minimum qualifications in Benton County Code.
Jan. 20, 2025
Republic Services is granted an extension to allow extra time to submit more technical reports before dates are set for the public hearing before the Planning Commission. NOTE: Applicants are allowed to request up to 215 additional days, for a total of 365 days for the decision process. This can come as multiple requests throughout the process, so the end date can change multiple times.
March 14, 2025
Republic Services submits an addendum to the Burden of Proof (submitted on Jan. 15). It is publicly available on the Munidocs platform as Landfill Expansion Application, 1st Addendum to Burden of Proof. The Benton County Planning Division works to incorporate this new information into the staff report.
March 19, 2025
Benton County announces the schedule for a public hearing on the application before the Planning Commission.
March 19, 2025 – close of Public Hearing
Public comment period for the public hearing before the Planning Commission, which is scheduled to begin on April 29, 2025. Members of the public can submit written testimony through the online form, email, postal mail and hand delivery. An online sign-up system will be released about a week before the hearing begins for those who wish to sign up to deliver verbal testimony during the multi-day hearing.
April 29 – June 17, 2025
Public hearing on the application before the Planning Commission in the Kalapuya Building at 4500 SW Research Way in Corvallis. All meetings are open to the public. Please note this is the expected schedule based estimates of the time needed; it is subject to change.
| Tuesday, April 29, 6 – 9 p.m. | Day 1: Staff report, applicant presentation and start public testimony if time permits |
| Thursday, May 1, 6 – 9 p.m. | Day 2: Start or continue public testimony |
| Tuesday, May 6, 6 – 9 p.m. | Day 3: Continue public testimony as necessary |
| Tuesday, June 17, 6 p.m. – complete | Day 4: Deliberations and decision |
Aug. 11, 2025
Expected end date for the application decision process.
Understanding the Decision Process
Conditional Use Basics from Benton County Code
In accordance with Benton County Code 51.535, once an application moves forward to the decision process the County has 150 days to determine if the proposed use of the land meets criteria outlined in County Code.
Applicants are allowed to request up to 215 additional days for this process, for a total of 365. This can come as multiple requests throughout the process, so the end date can change multiple times during the process.
53.215 – Criteria. The decision to approve a conditional use permit shall be based on findings that:
(1) The proposed use does not seriously interfere with uses on adjacent property, with the character of the area, or with the purpose of the zone;
(2) The proposed use does not impose an undue burden on any public improvements, facilities, utilities, or services available to the area; and
(3) The proposed use complies with any additional criteria which may be required for the specific use by this code. [Ord. 90-0069]
53.220 – Conditions of Approval. Conditions may address, but are not limited to:
(1) Size & location of site.
(2) Road capacities in the area.
(3) Number & location of road access points.
(4) Location & amount of off-street parking.
(5) Internal traffic circulation.
(6) Fencing, screening & landscape
(7) Height & square footage of building.
(8) Signs.
(9) Exterior lighting.
(10) Noise, vibration, air pollution, & other environmental influences.
(11) Water supply & sewage disposal.
(12) Law enforcement & fire protection.
[Ord. 26; Ord. 90-0069]
Background: Benton County Talks Trash (BCTT)
Following a pair of conflicting 2021 decisions from its appointed solid waste and land use bodies, and in response to substantial community concern over a proposed landfill expansion, the Board of County Commissioners asked Oregon Consensus to help understand the situation and identify, if possible, a constructive path forward on solid waste and disposal, including at the Coffin Butte Landfill. Following the Board’s direction, a third-party facilitation team helped convene a community member-based Workgroup representing a diverse balance of perspectives and established a Charter and Bylaws to guide the work.
Dubbed “Benton County Talks Trash,” the workgroup was tasked with building “common understandings” around key topics and outlining the table of contents for a modern, long-term Sustainable Materials Management Plan. To complete these tasks, the workgroup established five subcommittees to dive into specific topic areas and then report back:
- Developing a Sustainable Materials Management Plan (SMMP)
- Estimating the Landfill Size, Capacity and Longevity
- Clarifying legal issues and reviewing land use law
- Determining the status of past land use Conditions of Approval
- Improving Community Education and Outreach