Collection study overview
The bulky waste collection study was conducted in partnership with the City of Gresham and included 39 participating multifamily properties with about 2,800 apartment homes.
The data collected through the study will support policy planning at Metro and local governments and will also provide local governments and collection companies valuable information to inform bulky waste collection services improvements within each city or county service area.
From October 2023 to January 2024, each participating property received a weekly bulky waste collection service from their regular garbage and recycling collection company. Residents were informed of the pilot’s temporary weekly bulky waste collection service through flyers left on all apartment doors.
All items that accumulated throughout the week were picked up by the collection company for disposal. The two participating collection companies operated specific bulky waste collection routes for the study, independent of their normal garbage and recycling service operations.
Study findings
In winter of 2024, Metro completed analysis of the bulky waste collection study. This study provided results for policy and program planning specific to:
- Generation: estimated weight of bulky waste generated per multifamily dwelling unit.
- Frequency of demand for service: estimated average frequency multifamily properties had items out for collection.
- Cost: estimated cost per multifamily unit to provide bulky waste collection at multifamily properties in the study.
In addition, the study included data collection to better understand overarching bulky waste collection opportunities, including:
- Characterization: identifying the most common materials set out for disposal.
- Reuse: quantifying the share of items that have the opportunity to be reused once set out for collection.
- Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): estimating the opportunity for recovery of EPR covered materials such as mattresses and large electronics, which will reduce disposal costs associated with managing these bulky waste items.