The equivalent of three modern aircraft carriers, 85% of the Empire State Building’s weight, or 62,000 African adult bull elephants, Deschutes County residents and businesses generate approximately 310,000 tons of solid waste annually. Of that, about 27% is diverted through recycling, composting, or reuse.
“This percentage of the total waste stream hasn’t changed much in recent years,” said Jeff Merwin, who — with 30+ years of experience in the industry — was selected as Solid Waste director for Deschutes County in March 2026. In this role, he oversees waste disposal and recycling operations at Knott Landfill and the rural transfer stations in Redmond, Sisters, Sunriver/La Pine, and Alfalfa.
Of the 27% of landfilled waste (which translates to recovering about 84,400 out of 310,100 total generated tons), roughly 98% goes to Knott Landfill, which is expected to reach full capacity by late 2031. Horse Ridge, located 16 miles southeast of Bend, has been chosen as the
replacement site.
According to Merwin, “Our recovery goal for the county, as set by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), is 45% — which is incorporated in our Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) that provides a long-term roadmap to meet that target.”
The SWMP includes new infrastructure projects such as construction of a materials recovery facility (MRF) — a specialized plant that receives, sorts, and prepares recyclable materials so they can be sold to manufacturers as raw material. “The MRF will give us the ability to handle new construction/demolition debris (both commercial and residential), as well as organic matter, for the first time,” he said.
Merwin predicted that “expanding commingled curbside recycling to rural zones, as approved by the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners this July, will also have some impact.”
On a more fragrant note, he pointed to another department project “that involves using forced air (aeration) to accelerate wood waste decomposition while helping to eliminate foul odors at the compost facility.”
