Trash & Recycling

Owen Austin, Mitchell Dixon, Jayce Peterson-Salcido & Cole Harlan

April 4, 2024

With us producing trash, we have to do something about it. That’s where our trusty trash recycling plant comes in. CTR! 

In 1971, Pete Davidson, the founder of CTR brought with him a garbage truck to Gold Beach and he started to pick up trash all over town– for a fee of course. 

Over the next few years, the business grew rapidly, and so did the area of service they provide. Eventually, CTR was allowed to provide service to all the whole of Curry County, which is where the name Curry Transfer and Recycling (CTR) comes from. 

With them providing services to residents and businesses, tons of people started liking the business. With the growing business booming, they purchased the other two major trash and recycling businesses in the county, which were RotoRooter and Waste Connections. CTR finally named itself “CTR”.

Collecting your trash and recyclables costs a lot of money. Not just to purchase things that are needed, but to keep them running. With only 1 truck for our area, they have to go and collect trash all over Brookings. “We have a front end loader that cost almost $400,000,” Ken Wold, the Site Manager for CTR said. 

A front end loader is a type of garbage truck that can use hydraulics to lift dumpsters, and can compact trash as it goes. Each truck is able to carry about 15 tons of compacted trash. For every ton emptied out, CTR tips out the driver $50-$60.

“It's expensive gas for each truck. They drop off all their trash in White City, Medford every day for six days a week,” Luke Pyke, the District Manager for CTR said. Once each truck is full, they empty it into a trailer and ship it to White City.

The amount of trash fluctuates year by year; some of it depends on tourism in the summer. During COVID, the trash increased because everybody was home and shopping online, or cleaning their homes. 

“Each time, halfway, they use a special machine to check if there is any radiation. This one time, they found some radiation, and we had to leave the truck on the side of the road for 2 weeks until they could get a hazmat team to take care of the radiation. When they were looking for the source, they realized that it was just a microwave reflecting radiation,” Wold said. 

Every time they empty out the truck, there's always a group of people with excavators, backhoes, or forklifts. When they have to sort through the garbage or recycling, the employees have to wear special equipment. This protects them if there’s anything sharp, or pointy in the pile. Sometimes they get medical waste or drugs in there, even though there’s a separate bin that waste is supposed to be placed in.

“We also provide portable toilets, which is good for the community to keep a fresh environment,” Pyke said.

If you visit their website, you can find out more about how CTR started, purchase trash, recycling, medical, household hazard, or residential yard services. If the need arises, you can buy or rent portable toilets. You also have the option go to your local transfer sites and deposit your own waste. 

“Residential curbside recycling service is available in all city limits and many urban growth boundaries. For those of you who live outside these areas, we have recycling depots at all our transfer sites,” Pyke said.

Their trusted team of workers can help you with anything you need. If you call their number (541) 469-2425.

Thumbnail Photo Credit: https://picryl.com/media/garbage-can-waste-container-trash-can-ac9b34

Cover Photo Credit: https://currytransferrecycling.com/employees/