Dive summary:

• Portland's waste hauler, Recology, has decided to split the city’s compostable commercial waste among four facilities in Oregon and Washington.
• Organic waste in Portland has been sent to Nature’s Needs in the past but the Washington County Board of Commissioners voted to stop sending organic waste there due to odor problems.
• The Royal City facility, which will take about half of Portland’s waste, is located about 226 miles away compared to the 23 miles to Nature’s Needs, causing a spike in transportation costs for Recology.

From the article:

"We wish it wasn't the case," Metro Solid Waste Director Paul Ehinger told the news agency. "Closer to us is better because it's a smaller carbon footprint, and I'm sure that Recology feels the same way because it costs them more to transport it. But for now, this is where we are."

Recology could recoup some of that added cost through lower tipping fees at the new facilities, the article indicates. ...