SEATTLE (Recycling Monster): Oregon regulators on Wednesday issued a more than $3 million penalty to the Republic Services subsidiary operating the Coffin Butte Landfill near Corvallis. The civil penalty recovers the economic benefit the landfill received by avoiding costs related to landfill gas collection and controls, the Department of Environmental Quality said in a news release.
“Landfills produce significant amounts of methane, which is a driver of climate change,” DEQ Office of Compliance and Enforcement Manager Erin Saylor said in a statement. “Landfill gas also contains hazardous air pollutants and odors that may impact human welfare. This order addresses violations of state and federal laws that are intended to mitigate these risks to human health and the environment and sets out DEQ’s expectations for Coffin Butte Landfill to return to compliance.”
The fine follows a pre-enforcement notice the department’s air quality program issued to the Valley Landfills subsidiary on Nov. 6.
This is not the first time the landfill has drawn attention from regulators over gas exceedances. In two visits over the last five years, U.S. EPA inspectors discovered landfill gas leaks that required corrective action. The DEQ penalty is a direct result of the earlier EPA investigation; federal regulators referred the case to the state for enforcement in October 2025.
Republic said in a March 5 statement to Waste Dive that it addressed some of those federal regulators’ concerns, and additional matters “are in the process of being addressed.” On Thursday, Melissa Quillard, a company spokesperson, said Republic has “received the notice and will continue to work closely with Oregon DEQ to reach resolution.”
Concerns over the landfill’s gas control system have also complicated the company’s plans to expand the landfill. On March 3, Benton County commissioners voted to deny Republic Services’ planned 59-acre expansion of the facility, reversing an earlier decision. In February, county staff produced a report citing the pre-enforcement notice and odor complaints from residents near the facility as reasons to deny the application.
The site has operated as a regional landfill since the 1970s and was acquired by Republic Services through its merger with Allied Waste in 2008. A county timeline notes that Republic Services began installing methane capture wells in 2019, but the company said this started in prior years. Republic confirmed the site has more than 300 wells today.
Coffin Butte is currently the second largest landfill in Oregon and accepts roughly 1 million tons of waste annually. A 2023 report prepared by Republic found the landfill had about 13 years of remaining capacity; the expansion would have added about six years of additional capacity.
The penalty notice includes requirements that Republic Services must meet this year at the landfill. By May 15, the operator must submit updated documentation regarding its surface emissions monitoring plan, a revised treatment system monitoring plan and a written procedure for monthly landfill cover integrity monitoring and repairs.
By June 15, the operator must complete all landfill cover repairs it identified as necessary through a consultant in a January review. It also must submit new design plans for the landfill gas control system and operations plans for the flare. Additional requirements are due in October.
Republic has the option to appeal the penalty within 20 calendar days by sending a written notice to DEQ.
In tandem with the proposed expansion, Republic Services is in the process of renewing Coffin Butte’s Title V Air Quality permit with the state. DEQ noted in its release that it plans to renew the permit this spring with “more stringent requirements that are reflected in the enforcement action.” That process will include a public comment period.
Courtesy: www.wastedive.com