Columbia Ridge Landfill
and Green Energy Plant

Click Each Picture for a Larger View Trash Talking Watch the Video Columbia Ridge Landfill and Green Energy Plant 18177 Cedar Springs Lane Arlington, OR 97812 800.685.8001 or 800.963.4776 Operation Hours Monday - Friday 6:00 AM - 4:30 PM Saturday and Sunday Closed (Subject to change) Communities Served Oregon, Washington Idaho, Alaska, Canada Download the Fact Sheet

Columbia Ridge Landfill and Green Energy Plant provides safe and professional disposal services for communities, businesses and industries primarily from Oregon and Washington. Located in north central Oregon, the site provides convenient truck access from Portland and rail access from Seattle. In addition, the site's dry climate and unique geology support superior environmental performance, while the rural locale allows for a 10,000-acre buffer managed for agriculture and wildlife. Columbia Ridge is also a platform for wind power and green technologies that use waste to generate renewable energy and clean fuels.

Columbia Ridge is a modern Subtitle D landfill that accepts primarily municipal solid waste (MSW or household waste) as well as industrial and special wastes. It is engineered with overlapping environmental protection systems that meet or exceed rigorous state and federal regulations and are subject to highly regulated monitoring and reporting requirements. Columbia Ridge uses sophisticated monitoring protocols to verify that its environmental protection systems are operating properly. Monitoring data gathered by company and independent professionals is submitted to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Acceptable Material

Abrasive Blast Media Filter Cake Agricultural Wastes Incinerator Ash Animal Carcasses Industrial & Special Wastes Asbestos-Containing Material (Friable & Non Friable) Medical Waste (Treated)

Auto Shredder Residue Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Biosolids Petroleum Contaminated Soil Construction & Demolition (C&D) Debris Sludge CERCLA Wastes Treated Wood Dredged Wet Sediments

Unacceptable Wastes

• Appliances
• Loose Sharps
• Batteries
• Tires
• Discarded Vehicles
• Used Oil
• Hazardous Wastes

Additional Services Provided

• Electronic Waste Recycling
• Transportation Services
• Household Recycling Drop-off
• White Goods Recycling
• On-site Rail Spur

For information about Hazardous Waste Disposal Click Here.

If you have questions or need more information, please e-mail us at landfill@wmnorthwest.com.

Containment Design

Columbia Ridge has a multi-layer composite liner system that includes an engineered clay barrier and a 60-mil high-density polyethylene (HDPE) membrane to ensure that waste and wastewater (leachate) are contained and isolated from soil and groundwater.

Groundwater Monitoring

The site's geology and hydrogeology provide unique natural protections because the groundwater is approximately 200-feet deep and separated from the waste by low permeability soils. Groundwater is monitored at seven wells, both upgradient and downgradient of the waste disposal footprint.

Landfill Gas Management

Columbia Ridge manages landfill gas to generate renewable energy, reduce emissions, and prevent odor. The system collects 5,400 cubic feet per minute of landfill gas through more than 84 wells. A portion of the gas is sent to an on-site energy plant, with the remaining gas managed by flares per federal requirements.

Leachate Collection & Treatment

The leachate collection and treatment system consists of a highly permeable gravel drainage layer covering the entire landfill base, with perforated pipes at low points to collect and route leachate to a double composite lined evaporation pond. It also includes a recirculation process that pumps leachate from the pond back in to the landfill, to accelerate waste decomposition and enhance landfill gas production.

Renewable Energy

• The energy plant at Columbia Ridge uses landfill gas to generate renewable energy as part of Waste Management's increasing focus on extracting value from waste. Gas collected from the landfill powers 12 engines which produce 12.8 MW of electricity - enough to power 12,500 homes in Seattle through an agreement with the City of Seattle.
  
  
• Columbia Ridge is home to 90 wind turbines with the capacity to generate 150 MW of power.

Community Partnerships and Involvement

Columbia Ridge is proud to be an active supporter of community events and programs that make Gilliam County a strong and healthy place to live, work and play.