County recycling plant proposed
By KAY HILL
Of the Emerald
Cliff Shirley, a former real
estate dealer in Eugene, is in the
process of presenting to the
county a sanitation disposal
system that would recycle
“practically everything.”
Shirley, now president of
Universal Developers, the
company that bought the Oregon
franchise for the recycling plant
from the Sira Corporation in Los
Gatos, Calif., claims that not only
can the plant recycle glass, paper
and cans but tires, refrigerators,
water heaters, and sewage as
well, all in one location. It cannot
handle concrete, auto6 and some
chemical waste.
All of the material is placed on
a conveyor belt inside the plant
where it is there separated into
burnable and non-burnable
material. The material goes
through a hammer mill where
everything is reduced and
ferrous metal is pulled out by
magnets and sold to metal
companies.
The garbage, waste and refuse
is, as Shirley explained, “finally
reduced by 99 per cent and can be
made into usable material.” Non
burnable materials, he con
tinued, after being broken down,
“are trapped in the slag and
drained off with the residue.”
“We think that most of the
recycled material could be used
in road and building construction,
for some reduced materials, the
only use we know for them now is
land fill,” Shirley added.
Universal Developers is all
ready to start construction of the
plant. The only thing preventing
it is county approval.
Nancy Hayward, county
commissioner, when asked about
the possibilities of the county
accepting the proposal, replied,
“We can’t really say much until
we’ve heard what he’s proposing.
There has been no direct contact,
no arrangement with him and no
decision has been made.” At 11
a.m.- Wednesday, the com
missioners, along with their staff
of people in charge of waste
disposal, will listen to Shirley’s
proposal.
“We will strongly consider any
proposals he has, if they seem
feasible, we will surely embrace
them,” she added.
About a year ago, Hayward,
Owen Brown of EWEB, and
others went down to Los Gatos to
see a model of the plans When
they arrived, the plant was, as
Hayward put it, “stone cold.
There was no indication that it
had ever ran.”
When Shirley was asked about
the trip, he replied, “That
morning, the plant had broken
down. A large amount of slag and
other materials had been trapped
in a place that was keeping the
material from gang through. It
was too late to stop the trip. Of
those who saw the plant when it
wasn’t operating, they couldn’t
help but be negative,” he said.
“They couldn’t help but change
their minds if they ever saw it in
operation, seeing it burn at least
five tons of garbage in an hour,”
Shirley added.
Shirley had originally planned
on putting the plant near the
Autzen Stadium parking lot,
When Commissioner Hayward
was questioned about the
feasibilty of that, she replied,
“That’s a park.”
Shirley was presenting the
location because “we want to
make the plant into an en
vironmental park, landscaped
with fountains and shrubbery,”
he said. Hayward replied that “it
is a park, not an environmental
park.”
When asked where he would
propose that the plant be built,
since the county land he con
sidered was rejected, he an
swered, “We were naive enough
to think we could get the land in
the comer of Autzen Stadium.
The plant will have excessive
amounts of heat energy and in
that location, we thought it would
be more accessible for use by the
Eugene Power supply.”
Universal Developers will now
propose Chase Gardens, which is
private land, or a location near
Eugene Sand and Gravel near the
Belt Line and Delta highway.
Approximately two weeks ago,
Shirley approached BRING, the
area’s recycling corporation, and
offered them the profits of the
plant, which he estimated to be
around $5000 per month, if they
would like to operate the plant.
BRING made no response at
the meeting and is still con
sidering the offer. “BRING
stands where it was at the
meeting. If it (the plant) does not
do harm to the environment in
terms of water and air pollution
or emitting heat of high degrees
into the atmosphere, it will be
considered. We want to make
sure that it doesn’t violate
anything that BRING stands
for,” said Peter Thurston,
spokesman for BRING.
BRING is waiting to make any
decision until their people have
investigated the proposal more
and until the county com
missioners reach a decision.
“If it’s approved and accepted,
Joint resolution calls for
unicameral legislature
By NAN HENDERSON
Of the Emerald
SALEM (Special) — A joint
resolution calling for a con
stitutional amendment to
establish a unicameral (one
house) legislature to meet an
nually beginning in 1977 was
among the legislation introduced
here last week.
Rep. Vera Katz (D-Portland),
Rep. Larry Perry (D-Eugene)
and Rep. Keith Skelton (D
Portland) sponsored the measure
(HJR 8) which was referred
Thursday to the House State and
Federal Affairs Committee.
Katz said she introduced the
bill primarily to initiate “an
educational process” about an
idea “we ought to start thinking
about.
Katz pointed out, “There is a
tremendous duplication of effort
in the current process,” such as
in the research done in both
houses.
She said the traditional
argument for a two-house
legislature — the need for checks
and balances — might not hold up
when examining the way the
legislative system works in
Oregon.
Katz said that under the
present system lobbyists decide
which house they can push their
legislation through and con
centrate their efforts in that
chamber.
She said that Nebraska is the
only state that currently operates
under a unicameral system. “But
a lot of other states have been
seriously looking at it in the last
few years.”
Other legislation introduced
last week included:
— SB 159, a comprehensive
revision of landlord-tenant laws,
which establishes obligations of a
landlord for rental maintenance
and return of cleaning deposits,
and outlines tenants’ rights if the
landlord fails to fulfill his
obligations. The bill was referred
to the Senate committee (Hi local
government and urban affairs;
no hearing date has been an
nounced.
— SB 25, which authorizes the
sale of condoms in vending
machines. The bill was referred
to the Senate Human Resources
Committee and no hearing date
has been announced.
— HJR 9, which amends the
constitution to require the
legislature to meet in even
numbered years to consider only
state financial matters. The bill
was referred to the House Rules
committee, no hearing date has
been set.
— HB 2116, HB 2117, which
expand existing laws prohibiting
discrimination in places of public
accommodation, in admission to
state institutions, and in selling,
renting or leasing property to
include discrimination on the
basis of sex.
The bills were referred to the
House State and Federal Affairs
Committee, no hearing dates
have been announced.
— HB 2138, which deletes
prohibition that only males be
allowed to participate in
wrestling matches. The bill was
referred to the House State and
Federal Affairs Committee; no
hearing date has been an
nounced.
— HB 2147, which increases the
membership of the State Board of
Higher Education to include
three student members. The bill
was referred to the House
Education Committee; no
hearing date has been an
nounced.
— HB 2152, which prohibits the
disposal of nuclear wastes
originating outside Oregon, at
any disposal site in Oregon. The
bill was read for the first time
Friday.
and in line with BRING’s
policies, we will probably accept
it,” said Thurston. “It’s really
hard to say anything though, it’s
a big step. For now BRING will
continue working on 24-hour drop
off spots and our drop off at the
dump,” Thurston concluded.
ODE
3:31 p.m.
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