Solid Waste and Recycling Collection Boundary Review

Client: Washington County

Location: Washington County, Oregon

Solid waste and recycling collection within Washington County is managed by private collection companies, who use legal certificates that guarantee them exclusive authority to collect waste in a given geographic area. The last update of the County’s waste collection boundary certificates before the completion of this project was nearly 50 years ago. But as the County’s landscape was changed by annexations, property development, and road construction, the County realized the certificates were no longer clearly defining reasonable service boundaries.

We began the project by compiling, assessing and digitizing the County’s original hauler certificate areas, identifying any discrepancies, and evaluating them with respect to existing hauler customer service areas. After addressing and evaluating the discrepancies, we facilitated the consensus-building process between the County and collection companies on updated certificate areas reflecting the existing environment. When we achieved consensus, we finalized digital and paper maps precisely defining the updated certificate boundaries, allowing the County to be ready to present them for confirmation by the Washington County Board of Commissioners.