Wonder what that carbon footprint is?
Posted on 06/27/2012 2:43:30 PM PDT by Sub-Driver
Portland Puts New Twist on Trash Pickup City Creates Buzz as It Cuts Collection To Every 2 Weeks, Stresses Composting By JOEL MILLMAN
PORTLAND, Ore.—The largest city in the state that four decades ago pioneered five-cent deposits on beverage containers is advocating a new approach to garbage collection that has some U.S. communities taking notice.
In a first for any large American municipality, Portland last fall abolished weekly trash pickups, switching to once every two weeks. At the same time, it increased collection of "green" waste—lawn cuttings and other backyard debris mixed in with compostable food scraps—to once a week.
By picking up unsorted trash less often, Portland wants to divert waste from landfills and churn this leafy city's considerable volume of vegetation into compost.
In the first quarter of 2012, Portland collected just under 13,000 tons of residential garbage, down from 23,000 tons during the year-earlier period. Counted in garbage truckloads, that's 1,800 fewer per quarter, or 25 fewer truckloads daily.
Volume to the landfill is down 44%. "It's just a remarkable decrease," says Bruce Walker, solid waste manager for Portland's Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. Compost collection is nearly three times what the city expected, he adds.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Wait just a minute. Since when is garbage collection of lawn clippings green? Just leave the clippings on the lawn and they will provide green fertilizer, geez.
Out here, there’s no recycling. There used to be a recycle place that would take anything from cans to ovens to cars to junk but it wasn’t profitable so it closed. We used to have a couple of can places but those closed, too. I think the closest can place is nearly two hours away so my cans go into the garbage can.
I remember back in the 60’s in southern CA, most homes had a concrete incinerater in the back yard for trash.
I’ve never used my recycling-bin, and I suspect most of us in town have not, which is why the town is forcing us to now. I’ll throw in 3 or 4 items in the recycling-bin & still put the rest of my stuff in bags.
“every week, residents put out a large container that contains their yard waste mixed with food scraps they collect during the week in a smaller, city-issued pail many store under the kitchen “
A family that can fill up a ‘large’ container every week with waste food is definitely on EBT... and liberal as all get-out. it would take me two months to get a gallon of waste food.
Obviously it’s advantageous to sort compostibles at the source but these proportions are insane, and unhealthy.
The counts of rats and racoons have increased dramatically.
Pray for America
This was the tipping point that got us to move out of Portland. Trust me when I say that Portland is NOT a good place to live or visit.
. . . where young people go to retire.”
Wonder what that carbon footprint is?
yep, my sister’s friend lives there. She just visited last week and I asked her how the organic chickens are doing and if they had their names (episode from Portlania). To her all this is perfectly normal.
So I asked “So you like the government telling you what you can and cannot do with your garbage”?
“Well” she replied. “They have good intentions”.
I had another scotch........
I was just there. Didn’t spend much time in Portland itself, but on our last night there, I decided to take my son out for a nice dinner at a well-reviewed southern restaurant (yes, southern food, including sweet tra) called Screen Door. The food was very good, but that memory will pretty much be forever tarnished by the two flamboyantly gay men sitting at the bar who couldn’t keep their hands off of each other, as well as a female member of the wait staff with full facial hair trying to fit in as a man. Disgusting.
Will they cut the trash pickup fee in half?
Good restaurants in Portland. Evo, Le Pigeon, Tastee and Sons—and Little Bird which I haven’t tried yet. I will now add Screen Door.
I like the style. In NYC, to get that quality of cuisine, you would need to go to a white-tablecloth place and drop your whole paycheck. In Portland, you sit at a long communal table or at a counter with the chef right behind the counter making the food. Small plates at Evo, more conventional servings at Le Pigeon where Gabriel Rucker is talented with a capital T.
The sushi at Subaro’s is strange and complicated and wonderful, although it’s now probably glowing faintly when they turn the lights out.
I love Portland. It’s a city, yet it is so different from all things New York.
Usually the raccoons eat the chickens. That’s right in the city. Who knows what goes on past the city limits.
My son wants to play football for the Ducks, so I’ve told him that I’ll move out there if he gets a scholarship. We went to football camp at the U of O last week.
Good luck to him. I don’t think you’ll be sorry if you move there. I’ve never spoken to anyone who wants to leave once they get there.
Rats reign in Portland!
If I took recycle to the local county dump, it would be about a 40 mile round trip. We used to recycle when we lived in WA state. But here they apparently don’t care. They have a large section of land to use as a dump and are just happy with doing that I guess.
Southern Oregon is a great place to live. A FReeper might be more at home on the Springfield side of town - as compared to Medford.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.