Congratulations to our friends at Marion County Public Works – Environmental Services. Marion County is leading the state in recycling and composting. We have a 57.5 percent recovery rate. Well done, folks.
That 57.5 percent is slightly higher than the other counties in the Willamette Valley and the Portland Metro area; it is significantly higher than the counties throughout the rest of the state. In fact, statewide, the material recovery rate is falling and per-capita waste generation is rising. “Oregonians are generating waste at record-high levels,” 3,122 pounds per Oregonian per year. The goal has been to stay at the same level but it has gone up 4.1 percent.
Paragraphs below are from the DEQ press release:
In 2006, the state posted a 47.6 percent recovery rate, down from 2005’s 49.1 percent and short of the 2009 goal of 50 percent. The total amount of waste recovered increased slightly in 2006, but the amount of waste generated increased even more.What Consumers Can Do
DEQ’s Web site offers consumers a series of tips, fact sheets and other documents they can use to help them make the best choices in dealing with their solid waste and other forms of pollution. Please go to DEQ’s Solid Waste Web page. DEQ’s Sustainability Web page also contains additional consumer tips [including] 10 ways consumers can prevent pollution, conserve resources and save money.
