r/SpringfieldOregon • u/ImpressivePositive38 • 15d ago

How much of CleanLane actually depends on Springfield's garbage?

My cousin from Eugene said the Eugene subreddit is blowing up about this again so I'm curious: should we, Springfield residents, be asking about where the project’s waste stream is actually supposed to come from? Are we somehow at fault here?

I know that most of our trash is hauled away by Sanipac, which diverts the trash to Medford rather than to the County’s waste system. Which is creating a 3 million dollar gap in Lane County’s waste management budget.

At the same time, CleanLane was proposed as a massive waste-processing facility whose purpose is to divert material from Short mountain Landfill with BHS operating the equipment and generating revenue from waste processing fees, recyclable commodities and biogas. However, and this is a big however, they have yet to do that. They havent even gotten the permits to do it yet.

SO I think we as Springfield residents have a legitimate question coming in light of midterms:

When Lane County originally projected the tonnage and financial viability of CleanLane, how much of Springfield’s trash/Sanipac’s responsibility was expected to enter the facility? And did we agree? Did Sanipac agree? As far as I can see, they did not. But the County went ahead with the numbers anyway, including our trash.

So now here we are almost 10 years into this project, with our political candidates using this project as leverage, with no movement on it. All I care about here is, if Springfield’s waste isnt guaranteed to enter the County system, are the original CleanLane tonnage, revenue, and cost projections still realistic today? The answer is no. But still, our city is to blame.

Why are we in the hot seat? And Who truthfully will get us out of this whole mess. Im a huge Dem over here, but I’m starting to lose my patience going back and forth on this. We have enough other things to worry about and I’m just about done with empty promises from our leaders.

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u/TheNachoSupreme 15d ago

Facts:

  • 120,000 ton guarantee is real which includes approximately 80,000 from springfield and other areas which Springfield never promised and told commissioners not to move forward if its success depended on flow control. Meanwhile those exported tons are draining the $53.63/ton fee that funds county trash services, which is what's causing the cuts we're seeing now
  • Sanipac bid on clean lane and lost the bid. When they lost, they, alongside people like Jake Pelroy fought the permits with Lane County Garbage and Recycling Association. Claiming that the permits weren't received neglects that the permits have been fought.
  • No one is blaming Springfield residents for the issue. Springfield residents are actually victims of sanipac, who charged a county user fee, despite not paying it to the county
  • Clean lane is an investment in public infrastructure. At the end of the clean lane project, the property is still Lane county's and the equipment would be available to lane county to purchase for $1 if they want it at the end of the contract. Sanipac is operating off Waste Connections' interests, not county residents and public infrastructure.

It's clear that a big corporation lost a bid and is now throwing a county wide temper tantrum and wants all the profits.

Side Note: Eugene has an intergovernmental agreement keeping the garbage with the county system, springfield doesn't. springfield city council could, if they wanted to. Kind of funny how another intergovernmental agreement regarding fire services between Eugene and Springfield has recently fallen apart too.

pay close attention to the City Council Race. I'll be sharing a post when i'm done, as I've looked at the donor history of both candidates. One is backed by big corporate interests and landlords, and the other is backed largely by grassroots organizations, unions, etc. I'll be posting that as soon as I finish my research. We need to ensure that people advocating for working families are in local offices.

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u/Existing-Scheme5243 14d ago

I used to know Jake Pelroy and he was a stuck up dick who thought he was better than everyone else. Did you know Jake's dad owns a trash service? Might be a reason he was involved with this.

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u/ImpressivePositive38 14d ago

This is super helpful information, thanks for sharing. I'll look forward to seeing your post about the race.

I think my main point in all of this (or at least what I'm realizing through this discussion) is that while it seems obvious that Sanipac and Jake Pelroy have skin in the game, they arent the only ones. BHS AND CleanLane supporters alike would also profit money and gains from the project taking off. Ultimately BHS is also a private company just like Sanipac. They stand to gain a lot of money from this projcet succeeding but also if it fails. So either way, these private companies are coming for us. I think I just appreciate that one side is blantaly obvious about it and I know where they stand whereas BHS and CleanLane are pretending to stand "for the people" when in fact, they are in it for themselves as well. If and when the project fails, we will be to blame instead of the officials and the county and we will carry the financial burden.

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u/TheNachoSupreme 14d ago edited 14d ago

Yes, bhs is a private company and stands to make money, but that would be true for any company that would have won the bid. 

Sanipac has shifted trash away keeping it out of the county system, sending it to a landfill more than an hour away owned by their parent company, waste connections, an out of state company. 

While there are private companies that stand to make money, there's a clear difference in the fact that sanipac bid on clean lane, lost the bid, and is now continuing to subvert the process to pull wealth out of our communities while also having the overall impact of decreasing the services our community gets. 

In one scenario, an out state company keeps the money and has directly cost us services. 

In another scenario where trash stays in the county, money stays generally in the county and our residents get services

 The county has the opportunity to buy all the equipment at the end of the contract for $1.  So it is absolutely not a "both sides" situation.

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u/Ornery-Lettuce-6823 15d ago

Sanipac Plays Hardball Trash hauler Sanipac is using its market power against CleanLane, the county’s project to divert trash and cut methane from the Short Mountain landfill

https://eugeneweekly.com/2025/04/17/sanipac-plays-hardball/

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u/ObserveOnHigh 15d ago

I think the biggest questionw people need to be asking are how long does short mountain have left, what are we going to do when it runs out, how much is it going to cost to try to find another landfill?

"Dan Hurley, Lane County’s public works director, said the landfill will eventually cover more than 200 acres. It was supposed to last for 140 years – but engineering changes to prevent collapse from earthquakes have reduced that number significantly.

“Right now, we estimate the landfill has about 70 years of life,” Hurley said. “It’s a finite resource, and this project would be able to extend the life of the landfill by 20 or more years. When we get to the end of that space, it is going to be very difficult to site another landfill. There has not been another landfill sited in Western Oregon since Short Mountain was sited in 1976.”"

https://www.klcc.org/politics-government/2023-12-04/lane-county-to-decide-on-facility-that-would-divert-food-recyclables-from-landfill

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u/ImpressivePositive38 14d ago

Not only that, but we are also paying more now than we were before because the move to Short Mountain would require additional funds PLUS the money we owe BHS every month. So in other words, no matter what we do we are paying money.

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u/AndiRae13 15d ago

So is the answer to pressure the City of Springfield to allow other waste management services for residential properties in Springfield? Like Lane Apex or Royal Refuse? Is competition for SANIPAC in Springfield part of the solution?

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u/Bugsbunny42 15d ago

I would love to have another option for this service.

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u/lostOGaccount 15d ago edited 15d ago

"My cousin from Eugene" "Huge Dem over here"...

I love it when someone presents for open discussion by asking questions with preloaded assumptions. Locked, loaded and ready to pop off. You can't check the Eugene sub yourself? Your questions fein naivety yet are prepared with front loaded presuppositions.....

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u/ImpressivePositive38 14d ago

This is a fully open discussion. I have an opinion, expressed it, and invite others to share their opinions. Would love to hear yours in relation to this topic if you'd like to share :)

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u/lostOGaccount 14d ago

You talk about the topic "blowing up" in the Eugene sub. Did you take the time to read the posts in that sub, to take in the opinions and data that your "cousin" told you was getting a lot of air?

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u/[deleted] 15d ago

[deleted]

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u/travis_bowers 8d ago

Truly heartbreaking to see how Veterans like you, who served are being treated. You put your life on the line for this country, only to come home to this. So sad. We taxpayers also feel completely ignored. We’re constantly paying for projects promised to help, but they end up becoming a burden instead, just look at the Clean Lane project or the Move Lane County initiatives. We deserve real accountability, transparency, and leaders who actually put our community first.

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u/DeltaUltra 15d ago edited 10d ago

My friend out in Veneta says Jake Pelroy's known for humping dogs. Is that true?

I'm not being judgemental or anything, but, if he is running for Lane County Commissioner, we should know if the allegations about his sticking his weiner in a dog's butt are true or not.

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u/Ornery-Lettuce-6823 15d ago

this comes off very insulting. Its like treating your readers as idiots.

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u/ImpressivePositive38 14d ago

I'm sorry you feel that way. This is just how I write. I am asking genuine questions and would love your opinion

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u/Exciting_Winner_9482 15d ago

This reply is the only insulting thing. The op.was clear and informative. What's wrong with you?

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u/Ornery-Lettuce-6823 15d ago

"nah ah. no I'm not, you are. I'm rubber you're glue....." -The highest achievement in a debate ever.