Tingley Lane Regional Transfer Station closed due to fire [VIDEO]

Image: Klamath County Fire District 1.

KLAMATH FALLS, OR — Due to a catastrophic fire at the Tingley Lane transfer station on Sunday, May 16, 2021, the facility will be closed indefinitely for all commercial and public solid waste disposal and recycling drop off.   

Garry Penning, a spokesperson for Rogue Klamath Transfer, the operator of the Tingley Lane transfer station, explains that “due to the immediate response from Klamath Fire District 1 firefighters, the fire damage was limited to the building structure, and thankfully, no one was injured.”   While no surrounding properties were impacted, the structure itself was destroyed.  

RAW VIDEO: Drone footage of transfer station fire. Submitted by Kendall Kotz.

Penning adds that “we are working as quickly as possible with our partners at Klamath County, and with the local hauler, Waste Management, as well as with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to minimize impacts and restore services to the citizens and customers of this region as soon as possible.”   

Due to the fire, and the immediate emergency closure of the Tingley Lane transfer station, Waste Management has temporarily suspended recycling collection for residential, commercial and roll-off customers.  For garbage collection, service may be one day later than usual this week for all customers.  Waste Management requests that residential customers place their garbage carts at the curb as usual and leave them at the curb until drivers provide service.  

For updated information about collection service as conditions change, please go to  http://wmnorthwest.com/. 

Rogue Klamath Transfer is working with Klamath County Solid Waste Department to set up a temporary transfer station at the landfill site located at 801 Old Fort Road and will provide information about public access, hours of operation, and more details as soon as they are available.  

Penning states “our goal is to have something set up and operational as soon as possible for the self-hauling customers.  In the immediate term, first priority needs to be given to Waste Management’s route trucks, allowing them to continue to provide solid waste collection for essential services facilities like hospitals, schools, assisted living/retirement facilities, grocery stores, and the like.”  

Residents and businesses who normally haul their own solid waste and recycling to the Tingley Lane transfer station do have some alternative disposal site options for the short term, until the temporary site at the landfill is accessible to the public.  

For information on locations of alternative transfer station sites in the region, please visit this Klamath County Solid Waste Department webpage:  https://www.klamathcounty.org/359/Disposal-Locations, or call (541) 883-5121.

“This tragedy is going to require some patience from everyone as we work to restore services to the community as quickly and efficiently as possible,” said Klamath County Commissioner Derrick DeGroot.  “Things will be crowded at the landfill and we appreciate the public’s cooperation with staff.  Rebuilding the transfer station will take time and we appreciate the community’s patience while we work toward that goal, but we will rebuild.”