Apple Tree Logo

REHUB POLK

A new recycling and refuse facility for Polk County

  • A visualization of the proposed facility in Rickreall, Oregon
  • Aerial view of proposed facility in Rickreall, Oregon
  • A visualization of the proposed facility in Rickreall, Oregon

Visualizations of the proposed ReHub facility in Rickreall, Oregon.

WHAT IS REHUB POLK?

ReHub Polk (ReHub) is a proposed new recycling and refuse facility designed to operate in harmony with the local community and the surrounding environment. ReHub will provide long-term efficient, local solid waste services for the residents of Polk County.

The facility is proposed by Apple Tree Holdings LLC on the former Rickreall Dairy site in Rickreall, Oregon. Apple Tree Holdings is an Oregon-based, privately-owned company. Apple Tree owns and manages Loren’s Sanitation Service, which has proudly served the community of Keizer with curbside collection services since 1958, and Wheat, which is a regional waste transportation company. Apple Tree also co-owns the Marion Resource Recovery Facility (MRRF). The MRRF is a state-of-the-art facility that processes construction and commercial debris and provides transfer center services for residential and commercial customers.

The Apple Tree management team has generations of experience in solid waste facilities and handling and is excited for the opportunity to serve Polk County communities.

HOW CAN A SOLID WASTE FACILITY SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY?

ReHub is committed to being a good neighbor in Rickreall and the surrounding community. The project would be developed with community growth and the ever-evolving waste stream in mind, and with sensitive and efficient siting. The facility would also offer key benefits, including:

  • Creating 18 full-time, family wage jobs with benefits.
  • Generating new tax revenue to support local public schools, fire districts, and municipalities.
  • Increasing the amount of dollars spent at local vendors and businesses.

  • Ability to maximize recycling or reuse within Polk County’s waste streams.
  • Complementing the current waste collection system through efficiencies that reduce air pollution, fuel and energy use, road wear and tear, and overall truck traffic.

  • Keeping the vast majority of the current tillable acres at Rickreall Dairy available for agricultural purposes.
  • Supporting long-term rate stability for curbside recycling and refuse services.
  • Ensuring Polk County residents have more than one option for end markets.

In addition to these benefits, the project is consistent with Polk County’s Comprehensive Plan, which in 2009 identified a need for a solid-waste transfer facility in the Dallas-Rickreall area.

POTENTIAL PROJECT TIMELINE

There are many steps before the project can be constructed, including the property purchase and oversight from Polk County and the State of Oregon. ReHub is still in the process of purchasing the former Rickreall Dairy property. If the sale is finalized and the project is permitted by Polk County and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the facility could open to the public by 2027.

2024
Planning and
permitting process.

2025
Site development
and construction.

2027
ReHub Polk expected to
open to the public.

The permitting process includes opportunities for public comment. We will provide more information on this website when the public comment periods are scheduled.

Community feedback will be key in developing ReHub to live in harmony with the local community. There will be several opportunities to share your feedback on the facility and proposed sitting plans during the permitting and community outreach process. This website will also be updated regularly to keep you informed of the project’s progress.

FAQs

Community

Polk County’s solid waste goes to Coffin Butte landfill in Corvallis. The landfill is nearing the end of its operational life due to the current waste volume coming in from all its service areas. Domestic and international challenges are also making it more difficult to find sustainable waste solutions. With the imminent closure of Coffin Butte and as the population of Polk County and the region continues to grow, demand for solid waste disposal will only increase. Polk County must create new opportunities for managing solid waste before Coffin Butte closes. The ReHub transfer facility would secure local waste management infrastructure and avoid the need for a new landfill.

For Polk County, end markets for solid waste – the entities that purchase recycled materials to be used in manufacturing new materials – are currently based on the open market. This means rates fluctuate and billpayers are at the mercy of the market. We propose to structure our rates to help keep them affordable and stable over the long term. For less than a cup of coffee per month, Polk County residents can have a local, modern facility that provides stability and waste disposal options.

Similar facilities exist, but not in Polk County. We are pleased to propose a modern facility that is consistent with the County’s identified need in its Comprehensive Plan for a solid waste transfer facility in the Dallas-Rickreall area.

By repurposing the former Rickreall Dairy site, the ReHub facility will continue to leverage the land for community benefit. This repurposing is in direct alignment with ReHub and the state of Oregon’s values of reducing, reusing, and recycling.

We expect approximately 450 vehicles to visit the facility per day. The majority of those vehicles (408) will be passenger vehicles driven by the public and employees, and the remining total (32) will be heavy vehicles dedicated to transporting waste.

We plan to control entry and exit for commercial and residential waste with dedicated entrances/exits and efficient scale operations. Queuing will take place on the facility property to avoid backups on Rickreall Road.

We have been talking with businesses in Rickreall and residents near the site to share information and hear their thoughts and questions. We are encouraging them to participate by visiting our website, following the public process, and engaging if they choose.

We’ve had mostly positive comments from the businesses. The top questions from neighbors directly across from the site are related to odors, traffic, safety and security, and property values. We also received questions about what kinds of waste the facility would accept, what kinds of jobs would be available, and the permitting and construction timeline.

ReHub Polk will help drive a healthy local community by creating 18 full-time, family wage jobs with benefits, increasing the amount of dollars spent at local vendors and businesses, and creating new tax revenue to support local public schools, fire districts, and municipalities.

Facility Operations

No. The ReHub facility will have personnel on site from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and be open to the public from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. It will be closed on Sundays and major holidays. Emergency response personnel will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

We have designed the site with enclosed facilities and use of state-of-the-industry air filtration system. Waste will be moved in and out daily or as quickly as possible to reduce odors. The facility will also be cleaned daily to maintain a sanitary and working environment and to prevent bad odors, unsightliness, and attraction of insects and vectors.

The ReHub facility operations will be managed to minimize noise generation in accordance with all local ordinances, rules, and regulations. Most activities will occur inside enclosed facilities to help further reduce noise. Operating hours and days will be limited to avoid disrupting neighbors too early or too late in the day, and on Sundays.

ReHub will implement routine vector control, including regular sweeping of the facility to prevent the accumulation of any potential habitat or food source for pests and maintenance of bait boxes located throughout the site.

Most of the site will be paved to minimize dust generation. The pavement will be swept regularly to minimize the potential for dust to migrate off-site. During the dry summer months, surfaces will be sprayed with water by a water truck and the compactor will be sprayed with a misting system to minimize dust. A filtration and misting system inside the main transfer station will control dust generated during facility operations.

Facilities and gates will be closed during non-operating hours to limit access. We will contract with a security company to do roving patrols to monitor the site. Sprinklers fed by water storage tanks and fire rovers remotely controlled and monitored will provide fire suppression. Regular safety training and relationships with local emergency responders help ensure quick response should an emergency arise.

Fire extinguishers will be mounted inside closed buildings at appropriate locations. The main transfer station building will be equipped with a targeted fire suppression system featuring misters as well as remotely controlled fire rovers capable of deploying fire suppressant on demand. A dry hydrant system will also be available on site. SW Polk Fire Station 130 will conduct annual facility tours to ensure their staff are familiar with the layout and operations of the ReHub facility. All fire suppression equipment and systems will be inspected and serviced on a regular basis.

Environment

We plan to offer locally the ability to convey a wide range of waste materials for which recycling, and reuse options may be limited today. This could include electronics, metals, batteries, building materials, green-waste, producer take back programs and more.

Building and facility stormwater will be stored in a settling pond and used for dust control and if needed, fire suppression. Wash water will be recycled through a self-sustaining system for compaction.

Leachate generation will be minimized by storing and containing all putrescible waste in covered areas prior to transport and disposal at approved landfills. Any generated leachate will be collected through a series of area drains within the building, stored separately from stormwater and disposed of through the appropriate public wastewater system.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) regulates transfer facilities in Oregon. According to DEQ, no major source of PFAs has been found in Oregon that would create regular exposure for Oregonians. However, DEQ is working to evaluate appropriate policy responses to prevent and address potential PFAs pollution in Oregon.

As the science and subsequent policy on PFAs is further developed, ReHub Polk will be operated and managed in accordance with all current rules and regulations. We will comply with any future guidance or regulation issued by DEQ regarding the management of these chemicals.

Trees, including native Oregon White Oak, stormwater swales and landscaping along the south and east border of the site will help the facility blend in with its surroundings and will also provide additional access control.

We plan to implement an ongoing inspection program to monitor litter and debris throughout the site and Rickreall Road frontage. Litter and debris will be picked up upon discovery and placed in an appropriate disposal container. A pavement sweeper will be used to remove accumulated debris from paved surfaces.

No. This facility will not accept or store hazardous waste. In the case that unpermitted hazardous waste is unloaded at the facility, ReHub staff will segregate and isolate the waste from other materials and contact the relevant local agency with jurisdiction to determine next steps.

RESOURCES

As the project progresses, we’ll continue to add relevant resources to the list below.

Polk County Comprehensive Plan

Proposed ReHub Polk facility site

Proposed ReHub Polk facility site