The draft Regional System Facilities Plan is a long-term plan for investing in facilities and infrastructure across the region to meet the goals of the 2030 Regional Waste Plan.
To develop the draft Regional System Facilities Plan, Metro engaged with tribal, city and county governments, community groups, garbage and recycling businesses and reuse organizations throughout every phase of the plan. These insights allowed Metro to take a holistic view of the existing reuse, recycling and garbage system and identify what types of facilities and services are needed in the region and where the facilities should be located.
Advancing waste reduction, access and affordability
If adopted, the Regional System Facilities Plan will focus on three significant achievements over the next 20 years, all while keeping costs as low as possible for people in the region:
- Increase access to reuse, recycling, and garbage services and facilities.
- Reduce the amount of materials sent to landfills.
- Modernize equipment and infrastructure while increasing efficiencies.
What’s in the plan?
The plan aims to improve public and commercial facilities, food waste processing and supports reuse and repair organizations. The investments will be implemented over a 20-year period and include:
- Investments in community: Metro will build a network of six community drop-off depots that households and small business can use for reuse, recycling, hazardous waste, compost and self-haul garbage services.
- Investments in reuse and repair: Metro will provide ongoing, predictable funding to local reuse and repair businesses and work with them to plan a regional reuse warehouse and mall.
- Investments in organics processing: Metro will invest in the current Metro Central transfer station to serve as a regional hub for food waste and yard debris and support additional investments in local private facilities to address gaps.
- Investments in commercial transfer stations: Metro will seek private facilities or partnerships to serve commercial haulers near Metro South, to support its future conversion to a community drop-off depot.
What are the benefits of the plan?
Once the six community drop-off depots are constructed, it is estimated that 98% of people in greater Portland will live within 20 minutes of a community drop-off depot, making it easier for people across the region to reuse, repair, recycle and compost.
These depots will also provide disposal for household hazardous waste, bringing much-needed services to people who currently live far away from public facilities.
New or expanded public-private partnerships will create opportunities for reuse, organic materials processing and commercial hauling.
Once completed, all the projects in the Regional System Facilities Plan are estimated to recover over 100,000 more tons of materials every year. Keeping materials out of the landfill is good for the environment too as increased recycling, reuse and composting decreases greenhouse emissions.
The projects in the draft plan could prevent an estimated 107,600 metric tons of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gas emissions per year, which would be like removing 25,600 passenger vehicles.