Published 10:00 am Monday, October 19, 2026

Here’s some bad news about garbage: People in Deschutes County are producing more waste per person.

Average per capita waste disposal for the county increased by 12% from 2019 to 2024 and 46% from 2014 to 2024. Compared to the rest of Oregon, more waste is disposed of in Deschutes County per person than in the rest of the state. Those numbers are from an October letter from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to Deschutes County’s Solid Waste Department.

Average per capita waste recovery decreased by 12% from 2019 to 2024 and 15% from 2014 to 2024. Waste recovery includes recycling, composting or energy recovery, which can be things such as utilizing the natural gas produced at a landfill. And compared to the rest of Oregon, Deschutes County is worse at that, too.

The goal for Deschutes County for waste recovery for 2025 is 45%. Somehow, we don’t think we made it — though the data is not available yet.…