As of Halloween, Portland residents can now place all food scraps (including meat, bones and dairy!), along with yard debris, in their green Portland Composts! roll carts. Learn more about the new Curbside Collection Service.
The average Portland household disposes of more than 1,200 pounds of garbage per year – and a third of this garbage is food!
When these food scraps decay in a landfill, they emit carbon dioxide. In fact, approximately one ton of carbon dioxide emissions is prevented for each ton of food scraps diverted from landfill. Residential food scrap collection will prevent the release of almost 22,000 tons of CO2 per year – assuming three-quarters of food scraps make it into green roll carts.
Not only does composting food scraps keep hundreds of pounds of your family’s food scraps out of the landfill, it turns that food into useful, nutrient-rich compost for nourishing yards and gardens. Learn more about the positive environmental impacts of food scrap composting and get a how-to lesson from Portland’s compost superkids.
The addition of curbside food scrap collection marks the implementation of Phase II of the Portland Recycles! Plan, which was adopted by city council in 2007 and included an extensive public involvement process. Read more about the Portland Recycles! Plan.
Learn more about how our everyday activities affect carbon emissions by reading the Climate 101 guide.
