Private operator details 'Clean Lane' processing plan, says it can extend landfill life
March 20, 2026 | Legislative, Oregon
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Steve Miller, CEO of Bulk Handling Systems, presented the Clean Lane processing approach to the task force and described a public‑private, 25‑year agreement in Lane County.
Miller summarized the facility design and goals: a municipal solid‑waste processing line plus commingled recycling, an anaerobic digestion stream that would treat roughly 75,000 tons of organics (of about 160,000 tons processed), and a target recovery rate north of 50% (Oakland’s contract was 65%). He said recovered organics will be digested to produce biogas that, after CO2 removal, becomes pipeline‑quality gas to inject into Northwest Naturals; the recovered CO2 will be liquefied and sold to a local industrial gas company.
On costs and financing, Miller said the county would provide land and building valued at about $35 million while Bulk Handling Systems would provide roughly $115 million for equipment and operating capital; the company also received a $32 million tax‑exempt allocation from the state, which Miller said helped keep rate impacts modest. Miller described the county’s calculation that the project could extend landfill life by about 20 years and estimated the homeowner tip‑fee impact as roughly 1.6%–2% per year in the first years of operation.
When asked about contaminants and microplastics, Miller said the facility’s approach diverts materials to manufacturers rather than landfill and reduces leachate and certain emissions, but he deferred technical questions to process engineers.
The presentation supplied a private‑operator case study the task force can use when weighing technology, capital costs, projected recovery rates and local economic benefits such as biogas and liquefied‑CO2 sales.
Miller summarized the facility design and goals: a municipal solid‑waste processing line plus commingled recycling, an anaerobic digestion stream that would treat roughly 75,000 tons of organics (of about 160,000 tons processed), and a target recovery rate north of 50% (Oakland’s contract was 65%). He said recovered organics will be digested to produce biogas that, after CO2 removal, becomes pipeline‑quality gas to inject into Northwest Naturals; the recovered CO2 will be liquefied and sold to a local industrial gas company.
On costs and financing, Miller said the county would provide land and building valued at about $35 million while Bulk Handling Systems would provide roughly $115 million for equipment and operating capital; the company also received a $32 million tax‑exempt allocation from the state, which Miller said helped keep rate impacts modest. Miller described the county’s calculation that the project could extend landfill life by about 20 years and estimated the homeowner tip‑fee impact as roughly 1.6%–2% per year in the first years of operation.
When asked about contaminants and microplastics, Miller said the facility’s approach diverts materials to manufacturers rather than landfill and reduces leachate and certain emissions, but he deferred technical questions to process engineers.
The presentation supplied a private‑operator case study the task force can use when weighing technology, capital costs, projected recovery rates and local economic benefits such as biogas and liquefied‑CO2 sales.
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