Experts say Portland food slop compost flap will die down quickly
At least, that's the message of this story in today's O:
Bruce Heiberg, a hauler who collected food scraps in Northeast Portland's Roseway neighborhood, said only 26 of 500 customers -- or 5 percent -- went to bigger cans. "I anticipated quite a few customers would switch, and it didn't materialize," he said....
[Jerry] Powell [editor] of Resource Recycling [a local magazine] said he's bracing for an uproar after the new rules take effect as people adjust. That happens every time Portland revamps its collection system, he said, recalling when haulers started requiring people to pull their cans to the curb. But he doesn’t expect the ruckus to last. "I bet you by December it's gone," he said.
Comments (18)
When we had a diverse system of jobbers picking up refuse, you could keep your can hidden in the back and not handle garbage once a week.
Once the city took over a centralized system, they off-loaded work onto the homeowner. Some people now leave garbage cans in front of the house permanently. Very unsightly.
The yard debris cans are quite large. We only really use ours about half the year, so it will be strange to put out these large cans every week during the winter with a relatively small pile of food scraps at the bottom.
Social engineering at its finest from the COP. If you don't play by the rules the progressives want, they'll bleed your wallet until you move to Washington County/Vancouver/anywhere but here.
I'd like to know why it seems to be a given that Portland households throw away so much food there will be a considerable decrease in our garbage contents. Doesn't anyone know how to utilize left-overs anymore? Stir-fry, soup??
I was raised in an environment where wasting food was a (pardon me) "sin." To this day my family has always very reluctantly thrown food away. Except for the occasional bones, fat, skin or moldy bread (vegetable peels, etc. get composted), there's never been much food waste. Yet we still have a full 33 gallon can weekly.
I welcome the weekly yard debris collection since we maintain our own yard and can easily generate the debris. But now the garbage issue will force us to buy a larger receptacle, and pay a higher fee. Not to mention reducing space in the garage.
Our commercial tenants include a small deli. They tried composting and the rats chewed through the plastic container in less than a week.
Plague anyone?
While all Portlanders should read the rat FAQ online (above) or whatever rat FAQ the city distributes to homeowners and garbage mavens within the city limits, this bit may give pause:
What should I do with a dead rat?
Triple bag the rat and contact garbage hauler for retrieval instructions. Clean area with a 10 percent bleach water solution and wash hands after handling rat, even if you wore gloves.
Will there be special rat pickup or will you have to hang onto the rat for two weeks?
Has anyone seen any CoP literature or Oregonian article that makes clear the fact that for those who wish to retain weekly garbage service your garbage fee will DOUBLE?
Reappearing Hole in the Yard. I wonder what the word "must" would cost to the homeowner that follows directions on the Rat page. http://web.multco.us/health/rats
PS: Keep those toilet seats down!
"A smooth-looking hole in your yard that reappears when filled could indicate a break in the sewer line and a rat problem. Call the City of Portland Maintenance Bureaucrat (503) 823-1700 to determine if there is a break. If the line is broken it must be repaired because if the line is not fixed, rats will be a continuous problem."
Charamba, Douro 2008
Horse Heaven Hills, Cabernet 2010
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills Pinot Grigio 2011
Avignonesi, Montepulciano 2004
Lorelle, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011
Villa Antinori, Toscana 2007
Mercedes Eguren, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Lorelle, Columbia Valley Cabernet 2011
Purple Moon, Merlot 2011
Purple Moon, Chardonnnay 2011
Abacela, Vintner's Blend No. 12
Opula Red Blend 2010
Liberte, Pinot Noir 2010
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Indian Wells Red Blend 2010
Woodbridge, Chardonnay 2011
King Estate, Pinot Noir 2011
Famille Perrin, Cotes du Rhone Villages 2010
Columbia Crest, Les Chevaux Red 2010
14 Hands, Hot to Trot White Blend
Familia Bianchi, Malbec 2009
Terrapin Cellars, Pinot Gris 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2009
Campo Viejo, Rioja, Termpranillo 2010
Ravenswood, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2010
Waterbrook, Reserve Merlot 2009
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills, Pinot Grigio 2011
Tarantas, Rose
Chateau Lajarre, Bordeaux 2009
La Vielle Ferme, Rose 2011
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio 2011
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir 2009
Lello, Douro Tinto 2009
Quinson Fils, Cotes de Provence Rose 2011
Anindor, Pinot Gris 2010
Buenas Ondas, Syrah Rose 2010
Les Fiefs d'Anglars, Malbec 2009
14 Hands, Pinot Gris 2011
Conundrum 2012
Condes de Albarei, Albariño 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2007
Penelope Sanchez, Garnacha Syrah 2010
Canoe Ridge, Merlot 2007
Atalaya do Mar, Godello 2010
Vega Montan, Mencia
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2009
Portuga, Rose 2011
Revelation, Chardonnay, Pays d'Oc 2010
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 2005
Monte Alto, Tinto Reserva 2005
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Cabernet, Indian Wells 2009
Espiral, Vinho Rose
Vin-Koru, Pinot Gris 2011
14 Hands, Hot to Trot Red 2009
Rodney Strong, Cabernet, Sonoma 2009
Abacela, Vintner's Blend #11
Portuga, White 2010
La Bourgeoisie, Red 2009
Januik, Red 2009
Three Rivers, River's Red 2008
Kirkland, Alexander Valley Merlot 2008
Muga, Rioja Rose 2010
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2009
Mauro Molino, Barbera d'Alba 2009
Garda Chiaretto Rose
Columbia Crest, Two Vines Vineyard 10 White
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley 2009
L'Hortus, Rose de Saignee 2010
Maculan, Pino & Toi 2008
McKinley Springs, Bombing Range Red 2008
Trader Joe's Pinot Gris 2009
Montes Alpha, Cabernet 2007
Gran Sasso, Sangiovese, Terre di Chieti 2009
Garda, Classico Chiaretto Rose
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 1999
Picos del Montgo, Tempranillo 2008
Chateau de Montmirail, Vacqueyras 2008
La Granja 360, Syrah 2009
Montgras, Carmenere Reserva 2009
Lange, Pinot Gris 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet 2008
Kirkland, Pinot Grigio 2010
Trader Joe's Coastal Syrah 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Merlot 2008
Trader Joe's Coastal Chardonnay 2009
Vieux Papes Red
Domaine de l'Aujardiere, Chardonnay 2009
Santa Rita, Cabernet, Medalla Real 2007
Penfold's, Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2008
Guild, Red, Lot #02 2008
Dievole, Dievolino Sangiovese 2008
Laforet, Burgogne Chardonnay 2009
Columbia Winery, Merlot 2007
Bonterra, Cabernet 2008
Elk Cove, Pinot Gris 2009
Maquis Lien 2006
Scott Paul, Pinot Noir, Le Paulee 2007
The Occasional Book
Neil Young - Waging Heavy Peace
Mark Bego - Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (2012 ed.)
Jenny Lawson - Let's Pretend This Never Happened
J.D. Salinger - Franny and Zooey
Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
Timothy Egan - The Big Burn
Deborah Eisenberg - Transactions in a Foreign Currency
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Slaughterhouse Five
Kathryn Lance - Pandora's Genes
Cheryl Strayed - Wild
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Brothers Karamazov
Jack London - The House of Pride, and Other Tales of Hawaii
Jack Walker - The Extraordinary Rendition of Vincent Dellamaria
Colum McCann - Let the Great World Spin
Niccolò Machiavelli - The Prince
Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus - The Nanny Diaries
Brian Selznick - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons
Keith Richards - Life
F. Sionil Jose - Dusk
Natalie Babbitt - Tuck Everlasting
Justin Halpern - S#*t My Dad Says
Mark Herrmann - The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law
Barry Glassner - The Gospel of Food
Phil Stanford - The Peyton-Allan Files
Jesse Katz - The Opposite Field
Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
David Sedaris - Holidays on Ice
Donald Miller - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Mitch Albom - Have a Little Faith
C.S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
William Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ivan Doig - Bucking the Sun
Penda Diakité - I Lost My Tooth in Africa
Grace Lin - The Year of the Rat
Oscar Hijuelos - Mr. Ives' Christmas
Madeline L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
Steven Hart - The Last Three Miles
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
Karen Armstrong - The Spiral Staircase
Charles Larson - The Portland Murders
Adrian Wojnarowski - The Miracle of St. Anthony
William H. Colby - Long Goodbye
Steven D. Stark - Meet the Beatles
Phil Stanford - Portland Confidential
Rick Moody - Garden State
Jonathan Schwartz - All in Good Time
David Sedaris - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Anthony Holden - Big Deal
Robert J. Spitzer - The Spirit of Leadership
James McManus - Positively Fifth Street
Jeff Noon - Vurt
Road Work
Miles run year to date: 21
At this date last year: 52
Total run in 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269
Comments (18)
When we had a diverse system of jobbers picking up refuse, you could keep your can hidden in the back and not handle garbage once a week.
Once the city took over a centralized system, they off-loaded work onto the homeowner. Some people now leave garbage cans in front of the house permanently. Very unsightly.
Posted by Mike in NE | September 13, 2011 10:00 AM
By December the rats will be so well fed maybe the homeowners can get them to haul the cans to the curb!
Posted by portland native | September 13, 2011 10:13 AM
The yard debris cans are quite large. We only really use ours about half the year, so it will be strange to put out these large cans every week during the winter with a relatively small pile of food scraps at the bottom.
Posted by Snards | September 13, 2011 10:29 AM
Social engineering at its finest from the COP. If you don't play by the rules the progressives want, they'll bleed your wallet until you move to Washington County/Vancouver/anywhere but here.
Posted by NEPguy | September 13, 2011 10:58 AM
I'd like to know why it seems to be a given that Portland households throw away so much food there will be a considerable decrease in our garbage contents. Doesn't anyone know how to utilize left-overs anymore? Stir-fry, soup??
I was raised in an environment where wasting food was a (pardon me) "sin." To this day my family has always very reluctantly thrown food away. Except for the occasional bones, fat, skin or moldy bread (vegetable peels, etc. get composted), there's never been much food waste. Yet we still have a full 33 gallon can weekly.
I welcome the weekly yard debris collection since we maintain our own yard and can easily generate the debris. But now the garbage issue will force us to buy a larger receptacle, and pay a higher fee. Not to mention reducing space in the garage.
Posted by PDXLifer | September 13, 2011 11:22 AM
Our commercial tenants include a small deli. They tried composting and the rats chewed through the plastic container in less than a week.
Plague anyone?
Posted by portland native | September 13, 2011 11:33 AM
Does every second week pickup mean they are cutting garbage rates in half?
Perhaps it is time to forbid the government restricting competition to protect favored (campaign donning) vendors.
Thanks
JK
Posted by jim karlock | September 13, 2011 12:51 PM
How many of the 500 customers already had the largest can offered? How many requested the larger size before the trial period started?
Posted by Michael | September 13, 2011 1:19 PM
"Does every second week pickup mean they are cutting garbage rates in half?"
Ha ha ha. No, rates are going up for this privilege.
Posted by Snards | September 13, 2011 1:43 PM
'chewed threw the plastic container in a week' - wow , we finally have a use for all those annoying yappy lil dogs ,
rat-catchers...
Posted by billb | September 13, 2011 2:53 PM
Job security for vector control employees!
Check out the County's FAQ on how to deal with rats: http://web.multco.us/health/rats
Very interesting reading!
Posted by NW Portlander | September 13, 2011 4:26 PM
While all Portlanders should read the rat FAQ online (above) or whatever rat FAQ the city distributes to homeowners and garbage mavens within the city limits, this bit may give pause:
What should I do with a dead rat?
Triple bag the rat and contact garbage hauler for retrieval instructions. Clean area with a 10 percent bleach water solution and wash hands after handling rat, even if you wore gloves.
Will there be special rat pickup or will you have to hang onto the rat for two weeks?
Posted by NW Portlander | September 13, 2011 4:49 PM
Has anyone seen any CoP literature or Oregonian article that makes clear the fact that for those who wish to retain weekly garbage service your garbage fee will DOUBLE?
Posted by f. jones | September 13, 2011 5:24 PM
Wait a minute!....Do I smell a rat (or rats) at city hall!?
Posted by portland native | September 13, 2011 7:01 PM
Multco could use some proofreading on their rat page:
Keep items at least 2 feet from walls when storing them inside the home.
Ya' mean like the bed, dresser, desk, TV, couch....
Posted by Old Zeb | September 13, 2011 7:30 PM
Reappearing Hole in the Yard. I wonder what the word "must" would cost to the homeowner that follows directions on the Rat page. http://web.multco.us/health/rats
PS: Keep those toilet seats down!
"A smooth-looking hole in your yard that reappears when filled could indicate a break in the sewer line and a rat problem. Call the City of Portland Maintenance Bureaucrat (503) 823-1700 to determine if there is a break. If the line is broken it must be repaired because if the line is not fixed, rats will be a continuous problem."
Posted by dhughes609 | September 14, 2011 10:48 AM
Quite the story here, from the City of Roses to the City that Works (works us over)
down to (on the ground and too many in our hall) the City of Rats!
Posted by clinamen | September 14, 2011 10:57 AM
By December I'll just haul my can of food scraps to city hall and leave on on their steps...
Posted by tankfixer | September 14, 2011 1:13 PM