Metro: How much are we recycling? http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.

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CALENDAR PLANNING AND CONSERVATION › MANAGING GARBAGE AND RECYCLING › HOW MUCH ARE WE RECYCLING? DISPOSAL SY

PLACES AND ACTIVITIES Find statistics about waste that is recycled and landfilled from the metro REGIONAL SO
MANAGEMEN
GARBAGE AND RECYCLING region. These data are collected annually by the Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality. SOLID WASTE
SUSTAINABLE LIVING SYSTEM OVE
In 2008 (the most recent data available), 56.8 percent of the waste generated in the Metro
PLANNING AND CONSERVATION HOW MUCH A
region was recovered or prevented (down from 55.1 percent in 2007). The Metro region has a
PLANNING AND POLICY NEWS recovery goal of 64 percent by 2009. ST. JOHNS LA

MAKING THE GREATEST PLACE RECYCLING A

Download the 2008 material recovery and waste report from the DEQ site
REDUCTION R
LAND AND DEVELOPMENT
2008 Metro region overview RATE SETTIN
TRANSPORTATION
Total waste generated: 2,434,840 tons
NATURAL AREAS, PARKS AND Waste landfilled: 1,198,916 tons
TRAILS
Waste recovered: 1,235,924 tons
MANAGING GARBAGE AND
RECYCLING Materials collected for recycling, composting or energy recovery account for 50.8 percent of the
Metro region's overall recovery rate of 56.8 percent; backyard composting, waste prevention
PLANNING LIBRARY
and reuse activities carried out through regional campaigns and local programs account for the
MAPS AND DATA remaining six percent.

GRANTS The region recycled and disposed of less in 2008 than the previous year, both total and per
JOBS AT METRO
capita in this recession year. Total generation was down 9.8 percent. Per capita generation fell
11 percent to 1.51 tons.
VOLUNTEER
Twenty materials experienced decreased recovery, with the leaders being wood (-69,103 tons)
DOING BUSINESS
scrap metal (-17,104 tons), corrugated cardboard (-9,768 tons) and glass containers (-5,393
NEWS tons). Recovery of ten materials increased, collecting 21,000 more tons in 2008 over 2007. The
materials registering the largest gains in 2008 were yard debris (7,247 tons; a combination of
ABOUT METRO brush, grass and leaves), food (4,845 tons), paper fiber (2,891 tons); a combination of
newspaper, high grade paper and other bleached paper) and tires (2,4983 tons).
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How will we reach 64 percent?
Metro, local governments and the solid waste industry are focusing staff and financial resources
Metro on three sectors where the most opportunity for increased recovery remain: organics (food
from restaurants, grocery stores and food distributors), paper and containers from
503-797-1700 businesses, and construction and demolition waste. The Regional Solid Waste
503-797-1804 TDD Management Plan also includes strategies for increasing recovery from residential curbside and
503-797-1797 fax multi-family recycling.

Download the Regional Solid Waste Management Plan (PDF 2MB)

Metro program highlights

Organics
More than 180,000 tons of food waste are sent to the landfill each year – half from
businesses. Additionally, another 40,000 tons of waxedcardboard and compostable paper
were disposed.
Food waste recovery was up 50.0 percent in 2008 reaching 14,390 tons credited towards
our wasteshed. However, there was no siting of a regional composer that could accept food
in 2008.
Metro continues to support food donation through its Fork It Over program. To help keep
edible food out of the waste stream, more than90 Portland metropolitan area businesses
have signed up to be regular food donors.

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Metro: How much are we recycling? http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=24920

More about Fork It Over!

Business recycling
Businesses in the Portland metropolitan area recycled 75% of paper and containers in 2005.
However, more than 100,000 tons of recyclable resources (paper and containers) from
businesses are disposed annually. To reach the 64 percent goal, businesses must recycle
an additional 80,000 tons of paper and containers.
All businesses in the region have access to recycling service with their garbage collection.
The Metro Council did pass a policy of mandatory recycling of paper and containers for
businesses, which called for regional adoption by local governments. The effect of this
policy will not be felt the latter half of 2009.This policy implementation is equivalent to a 90
percent recycling rate for these materials, or the 80,000 tons of paper and containers.
Since 2000, Metro has invested over $4.1 million in on-site recycling specialists to provide
free recycling assistance to area businesses through the Recycle at Work initiative.

Recycle at Work

More than 97,000 desk side and central recycling containers have been distributed to
businesses throughout the region since 2003 by the Recycle at Work staff.

Construction and demolition

Contractors dispose of approximately 250,000 tons – or 95,000 drop box loads – of
construction and demolition debris every year. About 50 percent of this waste could be
reused, recycled or burned for energy.
In 2008, 261,600 tons of construction and demolition waste were recovered, down almost
10 percent from the 289,000 tons in 2007. About two-thirds of this total was source
separated by the generator, while the remaining one-third was mixed with waste and later
recovered by the processor. The downturn was mostly due to the depressed new
construction.
The Metro Council passed a policy that all dry waste should be processed prior to disposal
and that cardboard, metal and wood should not exceed 15 percent in residue. It is expected
75 percent of these three targeted materials would result in 33,000 tons of new recovery.
Metro continues its outreach and assistance to contractors and builders,including
publications that help the industry plan for and manage construction debris.The Metro
Toolkit, Smart Start and Succeed With LEED are free and available in print and electronic
formats.

More about managing construction waste

Building material reuse continues to be the preferred way of managing construction

debris. In a recent survey of the region's used building material retailers, they reported
handling approximately 10,700 tons of mostly residential used building materials in 2008, up
30 percent from the previous year.

Visit boneyardNW.com

Residential recycling
In 2008, curbside recycling increased 6 percent. Over 2,000 more tons of paper and containers
and 12,000 tons of yard debris were collected in 2008 than in 2007. By the end of 2008, more
than 90 percent of local jurisdictions in the region had replaced their two-bin recycling
systems with wheeled carts to capture almost 78 percent of commingled recyclables
from curbside programs, which was up from 66 percent in 2005, on average. For more
information about residential programs, contact your local government solid waste and recycling
agency.

Find local government contacts

For more information about the DEQ annual waste recovery report, contact Marylou Perry at
503-229-5731 or 1-800-452-4011, ext. 5731.

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