Background

Role of a Transfer Station

Waste transfer stations play an important role in a waste management system, serving as a link between local waste collection programs and the final disposal facility. The primary reason for using a transfer station is to reduce the cost of transporting waste to distant disposal facilities.

Ellensburg Transfer Station

Kittitas County's existing Ellensburg Transfer Station is located off Industrial Way within the City of Ellensburg and is one of two solid waste transfer stations provided by the County. The transfer station property is leased from the City of Ellensburg and the transfer station is operated by Waste Management, Inc. under contract to the County. Opened in 2000, the transfer station is already 19 years old.

The existing station handles solid waste, recyclables, household hazardous waste, and makes compost from yard waste that is received onsite. The station handles approximately 25,000 tons of solid waste every year and serves about 60,000 customers (residents and businesses). Solid waste that is brought to the station is then loaded into transfer trailers and transported approximately 80 miles to the Greater Wenatchee Landfill in Douglas County, Washington. Recyclable materials collected at the transfer station go to Waste Management's recycling facility.

Why Move the County's Ellensburg Transfer Station?

The existing Ellensburg Transfer Station is being moved from its current location due to three serious challenges.

Located on a floodplain near a creek, the facility is often closed because of customer access issues during significant rainfall or spring runoff events. Flooding also impacts operation of the compost area.

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Materials

The main building of the transfer station is approximately 7,500 square feet, with a tipping floor of approximately 6,800 square feet. Based on these size constraints, the facility does not have the capacity to accept any new material types.

Customers

The facility is undersized for the number of customers using it which often results in long queuing times and potentially unsafe conditions within the small unloading and processing areas. Additionally, steady growth is anticipated in Ellensburg, and the transfer station is too small to accommodate more materials or users.

Table 1-1. Kittitas County Population Estimates: 2015 to 2035

Total Estimated Population
Year	Intermediate Series	High Series
2015	42,592	47,759
2020	45,255	52,395
2025	47,949	57,065
2030	50,567	61,652
2035	53,032	66,075
% growth (2015 to 2035)	24%	38%
Average % growth	31%

Source

Another issue facing Kittitas County is diminished air quality due to people burning green waste. Upsizing the compost facility would allow the County to accept more green waste and improve our air quality.

The new transfer station will be sized and designed to address these challenges and to handle the long-term needs of Kittitas County.

Size constraints

Four trucks with trailers lined up to enter the transfer station to drop off loads of materials.

Trucks queuing at transfer station entrance

Did you know?

Kittitas County is one of the 10 fastest growing counties in the country. We must plan for a future with a lot more people in the area.

Did you know?

It can take up to 10 years to plan, site, design, and build a transfer station. If we take that long, we will have long outgrown our Ellensburg Transfer Station.

Relocating a Transfer Station

Moving a transfer station is not a fast or easy process. There are many steps to take, lots of planning, and community engagement is needed throughout the process. Below is a brief description of the process we’re using to relocate the County's Ellensburg Transfer Station.

This included answering questions such as:

What services will be provided at the station, and to whom?
How much waste and recycling do we expect to handle over the life of the new station?
How big a site do we need to provide all the services?
What kind of flexibility do we need to include so we can keep up with changes in the future (population growth, changes in recycling materials, etc.)

These questions are answered in a report known as a Basis of Design report. View the draft Basis of Design report to view the for the Ellensburg Transfer Station.

Once a site is selected and initial permits are obtained, it is time to design the transfer station to fit the site. Once the size and shape of the site is known, the Basis of Design report is updated to reflect these details. A designer starts laying out all the pieces that go into a transfer station, identifying how traffic will flow, where different facilities will be located on the site, how the operations will work, etc. It is during this stage that the County applies for the remaining permits necessary to build and operate the site.