Coffin Butte Landfill
Coffin Butte Landfill
JUMP TO: About the Landfill | CUP Application Timeline | The Decision Process | Benton County Code | Background: BCTT
Current status
The Benton County Planning Division and consultants are compiling the supplemental staff report, which is scheduled for release on June 24. The public hearing will continue on July 8.
Public Hearing schedule
UPDATED 5/28/25: The schedule has been updated with a number of new dates following the June 17 meeting. The hearing is being held in the County’s Kalapuya Building at 4500 SW Research Way in Corvallis. A Zoom option will be provided for virtual participation – registration links for each meeting will be provided closer to the meeting dates.
Participants who wish to attend the meetings virtually should register for all sessions, as a unique link is required for each one.
| Tuesday, April 29, 6 – 9 p.m. meeting recording | Day 1: Staff report |
| Thursday, May 1, 6 – 9 p.m. meeting recording | Day 2: Applicant presentation |
| Tuesday, May 6, 6 – 10 p.m. meeting recording | Day 3: Public testimony |
| NEW – Thursday, May 8, 6 p.m. – complete meeting recording | Day 4: Public testimony; applicant rebuttal |
| Tuesday, June 17, 6 p.m. – virtual (Zoom) | Planning Commission meets to continue hearing to July 8 |
| Tuesday, June 24 | Supplemental staff report issued |
| Thursday, July 3, 4 p.m. | Last date to submit written evidence through online portal or by email; can still submit written evidence in person at Community Development Department or at Hearing |
| Tuesday, July 8 | Public hearing continues with presentations of supplemental staff report and applicant update. If time permits, begin public verbal testimony on new evidence ONLY. Open 7-day limited public written comment period ONLY collecting new evidence about the supplemental staff report. |
| Wednesday, July 9 | Public hearing continues |
| Tuesday, July 22 | Deliberations by Planning Commission. Open to the public, but no public comment will be heard. |
| Tuesday, July 29 | Meeting to adopt final written decision and findings. |
The hearing will be held in the Holmes & Shipley Meeting Room on the first floor of the County’s Kalapuya Building at 4500 SW Research Way in Corvallis, OR. If you need any physical or language accommodations, please notify Benton County Community Development (permitcheck@bentoncountyor.gov) at least 72 hours in advance of the hearing.
Verbal testimony
There will be a second opportunity to deliver verbal testimony on July 8 or 9. Testimony must pertain to new evidence. Registration method and dates are TBA.
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 4/30/25) 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 until 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. Those who wish to deliver verbal testimony during the multi-day hearing should use this form to sign up.
April 22, 2025
The Benton County Planning Division released the staff report for LU-24-027. The full report with all exhibits is publicly available on the Munidocs platform.
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.
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