The writers of "Portlandia," the IFC television series now in its third season, skewer the clichéd tendencies of young local urbanites fascinated with fixed-gear bikes and fancy cocktails, hip hotels and free-range chickens (poor Colin). No topic is sacred, not even recycling.
For many environmentally-obsessed locavores, dissing the region's sustainable practices crosses the line. Others say, "the truth hurts."
According to Metro's illegal dumping enforcement program, the Regional Illegal Dumping Patrol (RID Patrol), unidentified dumpers are getting the last laugh by tarnishing the region's "green" image with their trashy surprises. The culprits brazenly dump old tires, household electronics, mattresses and other bulky waste on public lands, including sidewalks, alleyways and waterways.
The patrol is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
To help people seeking solutions to this silent but troubling problem, Metro offers tips to fight blight and help prevent illegal dumping. In addition to a list of things people can do to protect the value of their property, there is an online form to report information about illegal dumping, referrals to Metro’s Recycling Information hotline and organizations that take materials not accepted at the curb.
Metro's RID Patrol is operated in cooperation with the Tigard Police Department, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office and other local law enforcement agencies. Since RID was established in 1993, crews have cleaned up 33,000 dumpsites, picked up 3,800 tons of trash and issued 1,600 citations for illegal dumping.
Residents or local agencies usually report illegal dump sites to Metro, which assesses them and, if sufficient evidence is found, may use the investigative help of a Tigard police officer assigned to RID Patrol to catch and penalize the perpetrators. If the dump sites are on public property, inmate crews from Multnomah County’s Inverness Jail may be dispatched to remove the debris and properly dispose of it. Penalties for illegal dumping can run up to $500 plus the actual cost to clean up the mess and haul it to one of the region’s transfer stations.
Community participation is crucial to the RID Patrol’s success. The public can report illegal dump sites by calling 503-234-3000 or by submitting reports online through Metro’s website. Although RID Patrol only cleans dump sites on public property, Metro can help private property owners investigate dumping on their land as well.
Based on a six-month pilot study launched in 2011, Metro now tags bulky items, like appliances, furniture, mattresses and televisions, with a visible, weather-proof tag much like the tag Oregon State Police place on abandoned vehicles left on the side of the road. The bright orange labels raise awareness, warn dumpers and engage the community in reporting illegal dumping. The tagging program has helped Metro better understand and address the illegal dumping of bulky waste, and reduce costs to Metro's solid waste ratepayers. After tagging, any items not removed within a week, are collected and disposed of by Metro's cleanup crews.
Since October 2011, 43 percent of tagged items were removed – presumably by the person who illegally dumped it - before cleanup crews returned the following week. In addition, since adding tags to Metro's arsenal, there has been an upsurge in calls to Metro from people with information about items and illegal dumpers.
Metro continues to study the phenomenon to better understand factors that contribute to illegal dumping and to manage the region's bulky waste in the most cost-effective and responsible way.
Trashy secrets of illegal dumps exposed
Over the years, investigations by Metro's RID Patrol have turned up startling and disturbing discoveries, from bags of human hair to tons of roofing material. Read some of the stranger cases or "trashy secrets" behind our region's human-made blight.
Weirdest thing illegally dumped
Bags of human hair were illegally dumped at the same location on multiple occasions. The culprit turned out to be, not surprisingly, the owner of a barber shop.
Most bizarre case
On numerous mornings, employees of a local business witnessed a man dumping sacks of household garbage onto the road from his moving car. Vehicles behind his would hit and scatter the trash. On a tip from a witness to such an incident, a Metro detective found the dumper’s vehicle in the parking lot of a restaurant where the man had stopped for breakfast. When he returned to his car, the illegal dumper was met by the detective who issued a citation.
Case with the most environmental impact
The owner of a property in Carver accumulated a mountain of roofing debris by illegally allowing contractors to dump it there for a fee. When regulators issued an order to have the pile removed, the property owner claimed to have made arrangements with an asphalt plant to take the material as an ingredient in a paving mix. However, Metro investigators discovered that the material was actually being hauled to a remote location near Rhododendron and dumped in the woods. The owner was required to pay to have the roofing material and underlying soil scooped up and disposed of at a local landfill.
Best community service
After the 2007 storm that brought devastating flooding to the city of Vernonia, Metro dispatched a RID Patrol crew to help with the cleanup. The crew worked with other responders for several days pulling water-logged mattresses and other heavy debris out of buildings.