SEATTLE (Recycling Monster): The Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) selected “Moon Pit”, located east of Bend on U.S. Route 20, as the preferred location for the County’s future landfill. The Board authorized County staff to proceed with the selection process.

Accordingly, the County staff will now be able to go ahead with negotiations on a potential purchase agreement and securing necessary permits. Also, it will trigger establishment of a mitigation strategy aimed at minimising the impacts to wildlife and recreation, said Tim Brownell, Deschutes County Solid Waste Director.

The “Moon Pit” site was unanimously recommended as the location for its new landfill earlier this spring by the Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC). Following this, BOCC had conducted a public hearing to collect feedback from residents on the location. The public were also allowed to submit their comments in writing.

SWAC, in its final evaluation, had noted that the site is already distributed, being currently used as an aggregate surface mine. It also concluded that there are possibilities for only limited impacts to wildlife and recreation. Furthermore, the proximity of the proposed landfill location will deliver lower hauling costs and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.