Portlanders have been using our new curbside collection service for eight months now. During this time the City has been evaluating the program’s progress and gathering data. Adapting to new changes takes time but the efforts residents are making are already paying off in a big way!

The first round of data shows that Portland households are throwing away 44 percent less garbage from the same period last year! By composting food scraps, recycling more and making careful purchasing decisions such as avoiding items with bulky packaging, nearly 1,800 truckloads of garbage have been diverted from the landfill since the start of the program. If those trucks were lined up end-to-end, they’d stretch over eight miles!

Portlanders are turning their food scraps into valuable compost, and we have collected almost 40,000 tons of yard debris and food scraps since the new service began. That’s enough compost to fill more than seven Olympic-size pools.

Though Portlanders are doing a great job composting food scraps, a lot of food is still left in the garbage. Don’t forget that every little bit of food makes a big difference.

Find how-to videos and collection schedules and learn more about your garbage options at www.portlandcomposts.com.

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