Klamath County commissioners are considering a plan to help fund a facility upgrade at REACH Inc. that would expand local recyclable processing capacity.

During a regular meeting Tuesday, commissioners said REACH is looking for roughly $36,000 in matching funds from the county to support operation of a proposed $300,000 sorting facility.
The upgrade would create seven to 10 jobs and involve employees sorting recyclables by hand to separate commercially valuable materials. The county is being asked for funds to help sustain operations through the first year.

This proposal comes on the heels of a town hall meeting Thursday night hosted by commissioners regarding the potential elimination of curbside recycling pickup. Almost all residents at the meeting spoke in favor of maintaining recycling service levels, and in some cases pushed for improved recycling options in Klamath County.

Expanding capacity
REACH already processes a limited volume of recyclables from Waste Management and is now taking serious steps to expand their capacity. Ron Moe, executive director for REACH, said he expects a proposal detailing the expansion will be prepared by next week and made available to potential funding sources.

Moe said the upgrade would ideally be completed by this June.

Commissioners said Tuesday they could fund the $36,000 requested by REACH through a state rebate they have received in recent years for landfill fees. Oregon recently doubled fees charged for landfill privileges, but because Klamath County is economically depressed the state refunded half of the new fee. For Klamath County, that rebate was around $16,000.

Commissioners said they could use rebates from this fiscal year and next fiscal year to support sorting facility operations. The remainder could come from the county’s recycling budget, which this year was around $200,000.

REACH agreement
Commissioner Donnie Boyd said, while he supports the project, he was hesitant to dedicate county funds for facility operations. He said there should be an agreement whereby, if REACH is able to turn a profit on the sorting facility during the first year, it should return unused funds to the county.
Boyd also suggested splitting profits from the new facility with REACH, as he viewed the $36,000 as a business investment. Commissioner Kelley Minty Morris said this could be problematic if the new facility lost money and the county was forced to absorb a deficit.

To read the full story, visit https://www.heraldandnews.com/news/county-may-help-fund-reach-recycling-expansion/article_edb47318-e0c3-572e-b04d-f42f28d928af.html.

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