Coffin Butte Landfill Project
Join the fight to stop the dangerous expansion of the landfill.
Current Updates and News
After Republic Services appealed the Benton County Planning Commission's July unanimous decision, it was referred to the Benton County Board of Commissioners. The expansion was approved in a 2-1 vote on November 4.
During the deliberations, there were very few benefits to the expansion mentioned. While casting her vote to approve, Commissioner Nancy Wyse said, "I do not think any for-profit company like Republic is going to do the right thing.”
VNEQS filed a LUBA appeal in November 2025 that prompted Benton County Planning Commission to revisit and reverse their decision, denying the expansion in March 2026. Republic Services has filed their own LUBA appeal after their appeal to Benton County failed.
How You Can Help
Support Valley Neighbors for Environmental Quality and Safety (VNEQS) raising funds to support their LUBA appeal. VNEQS needs to raise $50,000.
Click here to learn how you can donate to VNEQS.Recent News
Coffin Butte Landfill loses final expansion appeal (Statesman Journal, Mar. 2026)Benton County Commissioners deny Coffin Butte landfill expansion in major reversal (KLCC, Mar. 2026)Coffin Butte Landfill should not expand, Benton County says (Statesman Journal, Feb. 2026)Coffin Butte Landfill says drone monitoring for methane not feasible (Statesman Journal, Jan. 2026)Coffin Butte Landfill in Benton County inches toward expansion. Opponents are still trying to stop it (OPB Think Out Loud, Dec. 2025)Landfill Opponents Unite, Appeal Officially Filed, And There’s Legal Fund News (Corvallis Advocate, Dec. 2025)Coffin Butte Landfill can expand, Benton County Commission decides (Statesman Journal, Nov. 2025)Oregon DEQ announces enforcement action against Coffin Butte Landfill (KLCC, Nov. 2025)Resources
Webinar: Future of Benton County and Coffin Butte (2024)
2024 EPA Coffin Butte Inspection Report Summary
Full EPA Report: "Clean Air Act Partial Compliance Evaluation Inspection Report"
Coffin Butte Landfill began as a dumpsite for Adair Village, a World War II airbase. After the war, the dump was run by a local family who sold it to Valley Landfills, Inc. in 1975. In 2005, Valley Landfills, Inc. was purchased by Republic Services, the 2nd largest waste management company in the United States.
Since then, the company has steadily increased the amount of trash landfilled each year, and imports trash from all over western and central Oregon as well as Washington.
Grassroots Opposition
In 2021, Republic Services applied to expand the area of the landfill by 30% and substantially increase their ability to add new areas to receive trash. In addition, their application contained a proposal to build the landfill site across Coffin Butte Road, essentially closing the primary ingress and egress for local residents.
Facing the prospect of more garbage, closure of a critical road for fire evacuation, and the already burdensome air pollution from the existing facility, members of the Soap Creek Valley gathered to organize a resistance to the Coffin Butte Landfill Expansion.
The newly formed Valley Neighbors for Environmental Quality and Safety or VNEQS, led a stiff grassroots resistance and increased community awareness around landfill issues. Their efforts substantially impacted Benton County’s decision to deny the Coffin Butte Expansion. Republic Services is attempting to expand again this year!
This map shows the two main exits from Soap Creek Valley, Coffin Butte Road and Tampico Road. The proposed landfill expansion would close Coffin Butte Road, leaving residents with a single evacuation route that could easily be blocked by fires.
Beyond Toxics and Coffin Butte Landfill
Communities around the Coffin Butte Landfill sought our assistance to help stop a plan to expand the landfill by 30% and understand the landfill's toxic impact.
Collaborating with the community, our research uncovered alarming methane leaks and millions of gallons of landfill leachate containing high levels of PFAS discharged into the Willamette River every year.
By filing public records requests with the State, we learned the Oregon DEQ has neglected to scrutinize and update Coffin Butte's air quality permit since it was issued in 2009, making it nearly 10 years out of date.
We successfully filed complaints to prompt state and federal action for compliance. In addition to seeking lasting policy change, Beyond Toxics also hosted a community-wide town hall attended by over 80 people and canvassed over 400 homes in the community closest to the landfill to better understand the community's experience of living downwind from a large waste dump.
Coffin Butte's methane emissions contribute significantly to global warming. Addressing these leaks is vital in mitigating climate change risks. Additionally, ending the practice of leachate dumping in Oregon rivers is crucial for safeguarding drinking water, salmon, and aquatic ecosystems from harmful, bio-persistant pollutants like PFAS, the “forever chemical.”
Coffin Butte is located about 5 miles north of Corvallis near the community of Adair Village. The landfill is Oregon’s 2nd largest landfill behind Columbia Ridge in Arlington, Oregon.
Coffin Butte Landfill Routinely Under EPA Investigation
In June 2022, the EPA performed an announced inspection of the Coffin Butte Landfill to ensure the facility was operating in compliance with methane emissions standards. By law, Oregon’s largest landfills are required to install gas control and collection systems. Landfill operators are required to inspect the landfill for leaks four times a year and report any leaks to the Department of Environmental quality.
Despite landfill operators knowing the inspection was going to happen, and having an opportunity to make sure the facility was in full compliance with methane capture regulations, the EPA nonetheless found 61 methane leaks exceeding the allowable limit of 500 parts per million.
Despite these regulations, the 2022 EPA report found 61 methane leaks exceeding the legal limit of 500 parts per million, with some exceeding 50,000ppm! Methane leaks of that size are highly flammable and even explosive, a serious safety concern an state grappling with wildfires.
A report by Valley Landfills, Inc., now a subsidiary of Republic Services, claimed to only find six leaks.
In 2024, Beyond Toxics and Industrious Labs submitted a FOIA request to obtain a report the EPA completed in June 2024. The 2024 EPA inspection reported 41 methane leaks as high as 200x the 500ppm limit.
This is ongoing documentation of Coffin Butte Landfill’s egregious environmental violations.
Worker Safety
Several workers and a union for mechanics have flagged safety concerns to regulators and Benton County Commissioners. Their concerns have cited expired personal protective equipment, lack of areas to wash hands and contaminated clothing, as well as unsafe practices for disposing of carcinogenic materials.
The union went on strike in September 2023 and returned to work in November 2023 in order to provide for their families through the winter season. Employees have stated that little has been done to remedy their health and safety concerns as of March 2024.