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…