Let's Talk Trash!

The problem
Even though Oregonians are recycling more than ever, we continue to generate increasingly more garbage too (as measured by per capita total solid waste). Many of the reasons for this undesirable increase lay outside our control, including excessive packaging, disposable packaging, and the planned obsolescence of products (short life span). Whereas, the folks of the Tri-County area can make the best contribution to waste reduction goals thru one’s own purchasing decisions.

Here in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge,our program serves Wasco County, Hood River County and Sherman County with hazardous waste disposal services and recycling outreach/ education. There are almost 48,000 of us in this tricounty area…and unfortunately, we generate a lot of trash! You know how it goes…as your lifestyle gets busier or more stressful, and the stores sell stuff with more packaging, you end up with more junk in the garbage. Every year, consumers deal with more and more packaging such as those 100 calorie snack packs, 4 count apples in plastic "clamshells", water in plastic bottles, coffee cups with lids and jackets from all those java shops, and the Styrofoam surrounding your new TV in the box. More and more products are made to be disposable, rather than reusable or repairable, so off they go to the dumpster.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality keeps track of how much trash residents of each county in the state throw away. The DEQ also tracks how much recycling occurs and sets recycling goals for each county to meet. In the picture above, check out how much trash this means per person, as well as how much was recycled (2007 calculations): So, how are we doing in terms of meeting the recycling goals for our counties? Hood River County has a target level of 25% recycling and in 2007, reached 33.8%! Yahoo, great job!

Wasco County has a target of 35% recycling but only reached 23.4%....got a lot of work to do! Sherman County has a target of 20% and reached 16.4%, which is getting close to the target. In order to increase its recycling rates, in early 2008 Wasco County , especially City of The Dalles, expanded the recycling opportunities for residents. The Dalles Disposal Service added a second recycling truck, expanded its rural routes with bi-weekly pickup of recyclables, and introduced weekly pickup of commercial recycling to all businesses in the city. To encourage folks to reduce waste and recycle more, The Dalles Disposal also introduced a "mini-can" rate which rewards folks for throwing away less trash by letting them save money.

Mel's Sanitary Service Inc, which serves most of Wasco County, expanded its recycling opportunities for residents by accepting co-mingled recyclables ("mix it all together") 8 am to 2 pm at the transfer station (plus by appointment on Saturdays during the summer). The City of Maupin received a grant from DEQ to build a recycling depot to serve its residents and began initial construction on the site in late 2008. Several of our rural schools have "stepped up" their recycling efforts including South Wasco County High School in Maupin and Dufur School, as well as Sherman Junior Senior High School in Moro and South Sherman Elementary in Grass Valley.

The TriCounty Hazardous Waste & Recycling Program also plays a role in helping the counties reach their recycling goals. For 2009, we will host 23 collection events for hazardous wastes; publish two newletters to promote the ideas of "reduce waste + recycle more", promote waste reduction and recycling through advertising and presentations to residents, and serve as a resource for folks wanting to learn more about waste prevention, "greening" the workplace, and composting opportunities.

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