Garbage and Recycling

Garbage and Recycling

Food Waste Prevention

Prevent wasted food, repurpose and redistribute, and then dispose to conserve water, energy, and resources. 

The Wasted Food Scale prioritizes actions that prevent and divert waste food from disposalFood is a big part of our daily lives and is important for our health and wellbeing. It's also a major part of the economy, through farming, processing, transporting, storing, and managing food, but the way we produce and use food can negatively affect the environment and society. By making the most of our food—especially by preventing food waste—we can get more benefits and create less harm.

Impacts of Food

Wasting food wastes more than food; it wastes the labor, energy, resources, and emissions throughout the food supply chain. EPAEnvironmentally, food is one of the most significant materials in our system. It's estimated that 40% of all food produced or imported in the US is never consumed. Annually, 5.9 trillion gallons of freshwater and 140 million acres of agriculture land are wasted on food that is never consumed. Food in landfills also account for 58% of greenhouse gas emissions, and in Oregon, represent 16% of material in our landfills (Oregon DEQ). The impacts of food waste add up and it doesn't only impact our environment, it also wastes labor, energy, resources, and money along the way.

[ Video – The Life of a strawberry]
 

Prevent Wasted Food

Preventing food waste is one of the most impactful ways you can reduce environmental impacts and save money. Did you know that each year, the average family of four spends over $2,900 on food that never gets consumed?
Below are a few steps you/your household could consider to start making small changes to how you shop, store, and think about making your food last longer. Start small, add as you can, and find a plan that works for your situation – any little bit helps.

1.  Shop with meals in mind.

Plan your meals

  • Keep a list of meals that your household enjoys.
  • Make a meal plan each week. Take into account the days when you will eat out or eat up leftovers instead of cooking.
  • Keep track of your meals and lists. AnyList, BigOven, Cozi, Cooklist, Mealime, Prepear, and Samsung Food and offer free versions of their apps to track recipes and create shopping lists.
    • Note: the county does not endorse nor particularly support any of these apps or websites.
  • Utilize The Guest-imator when planning for larger events or holidays to determine how much food to prepare.

Shop at home first

  • Make a shopping list based on your meal plan. Include quantities to make sure you buy just what you need.
  • Check the fridge, freezer and cupboards for ingredients you already have before you buy more.
  • Download this simple meal planner and shopping list.

Stick to your plan

  • Hungry? Eat a snack before shopping to avoid impulse purchases.
  • Buy only what you need. Pre-packaged produce or 2-for-1 deals can lead to over-buying and wasted food. Shop the loose produce area and dry goods bulk section to get the exact amount you need.
  • If you eat fresh foods often, try shopping a little more frequently, but buy less each trip. This way your food is always fresh.
  • Buy fruit with varying ripeness so eating can be staggered.
  • When choosing produce, imperfect fruits and veggies are often perfectly delicious. When choosing bananas, go for the often-ignored singles and doubles.

2. Prepare Now to Eat Later

Prep right from the store

  • As soon as you return from the store, wash, chop, peel, cook or portion ingredients for your weekly meals and snacks. Alternatively, choose a specific day each week for food prep.
  • Some items, like berries and cabbage, should not be washed until they are ready to eat.
  • If portioning canned goods, transfer food to suitable containers with lids. Do not store food in opened metal cans.

Freeze food for later

  • Freeze food such as bread, sliced fruit, cut-up vegetables and meat in meal-size portions if you don't plan to use them within a few days.
  • If you've made too much or if leftovers are not going to be eaten in time, freeze them in a freezer-safe container for use later when you need a quick meal.

Use containers and labels

  • Store prepped food in clear containers and place near the front of the refrigerator so they are visible and easy to identify.
  • Freezer bags or containers with a good seal can be used to avoid freezer burn.
  • Label and date food containers and bags when storing.
    • Keep labels or masking tape and a pen nearby to make labeling as convenient as possible.

3. Keep it Fresh

Keep it separated

  • Be careful when storing apples, pears, tomatoes and bananas with other fruit — they emit ethylene, a gas that accelerates ripening. Check fruit regularly. Separate very ripe fruit, such as apples and bananas, from your other produce.
  • When cooking meals with multiple ingredients like vegetables, proteins and grains, consider storing them separately. This offers more flexibility when making new meals from those leftovers.

Additional tips
Most refrigerators have specific design elements to maximize the lifespan of your food. Understand your refrigerator's design and see where and how you should be storing your food.

4. Eat what you Buy

Keep track of leftovers

  • First In, First Out (FIFO) is a useful way that many restaurants and grocery stores use to organize food - and you can use this system at home! Move food that's soonest to spoil to the front of the shelf or put it in an "Eat this first" bin. Move recently purchased items towards the back.
  • Make leftovers a part of your weekly meal plan by designating one day a week for 'eating down the fridge' or 'leftover lollapalooza'.
  • If possible, reheat leftovers in the way they were originally prepared. A toaster oven can help make pizza, breads, fried foods, grilled meats, and seafood much more appetizing than the microwave can.

Get creative

  • Think of leftovers as ingredients. Make casseroles, burritos, wraps, frittatas, stews, smoothies and more from leftovers and extra ingredients. Find ideas for leftovers at the Food Hero website.
  • Puree cooked veggies and a can of tomato sauce for a nutrient dense pasta sauce or puree with a can of broth for soup.
  • Learn cooking skills together and challenge family members to transform 'need to use up' food items into a meal.
  • Utilize various preservation techniques, such as dehydrating, canning, freezing, pickling, and infusing to save food from being wasted.

Don't be confused by the date labels

  • Get to know what date labels mean so you aren't throwing good food in the trash. "Sell-by", "use-by" and "best by" all means different things and none of these identify when food has 'gone bad' or could be dangerous.
  • Practice safe food handling habits, store food properly, and learn when and how to use your senses and good judgment to determine if food needs to be tossed.
  • Food shelf life estimates are helpful guides. However, they are just estimates so always use your best judgment.

5. Measure you Wasted Food

  • Consider measuring the food your household throws away. Identify food that was once edible – not peelings, cores or eggshells. Be sure to include food scraped off plates and tossed from the fridge, counter and cabinets. For any duration, choose a measurement method that works best for you from the options below:
  • Take a picture or make an estimate, is it more, less or the same as the week before?
  • Weigh it. Using a kitchen scale, weigh wasted food on a regular basis and write it down.
  • Track the volume. Using a large container, estimate how full is it — quarter full, half or more. Or use a container with graduated measurements.
  • Write the results on the Measurement Guide and share with those in your household. Remember to note the reason the food was wasted so you can identify opportunities for improvement.

Start by making changes in the way you shop for, prepare, and store your food. Small actions can make a big difference!

Request free physical resources for preventing wasted food by emailing wasteinfo@clackamas.us.

Rescue and Donate Food

Compost

When it comes to peels, shells, bones, and coffee grounds, (and more), disposal is inevitable. Use various at-home composting methods (compost tumblers, stationary compost bins, worm bins, etc.) to decompose your food scraps. Find more information and tips on home composting through Metro or OSU Extension Service's Master Gardener program

Residents within the city limits of Lake Oswego, Milwaukie, and Wilsonville can include food waste in their yard waste bins. Including food waste in your yard waste bin outside those city limits may result in a fee from your garbage and recycling company.

Learn more on our Recycle Guide page.  

More Resources

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Choose to Reuse

A guide for businesses to switch to reusable serviceware.

Popcorn in a bamboo bowl and a drink with a metal strawReusable cups, straws, dishware, and cutlery can help your business save money, reduce waste, and keep your customers happy. They can be washed and sanitized thousands of times. Making the switch is easier than you think!

Why Choose Reusable Serviceware?

Restaurants and grocery stores that make the switch to reusables can reduce their purchasing and garbage costs, saving money every month.

For example, coffee shops can save thousands of dollars per year. Read about how one coffee shop saw a savings of over $6,800 per year by switching to reusables.

Customer Satisfaction

Switching to reusable serviceware, can enhance your image, demonstrate your commitment to being environmentally friendly, and offer a better customer experience.

More than ever, customers want to support businesses that go above and beyond in their sustainability efforts. Offering and promoting reusables is a simple, tangible way to show customers you care about reducing waste.

Bring Your Own (BYO): A New Way to Cut Waste and Costs

Refilling a container with bulk foodThanks to Oregon's new Bring Your Own (BYO) law, customers can now bring their own containers to participating restaurants, food carts, grocery stores and other retail food establishments when purchasing food, grabbing to-go orders, or packing up leftovers. While this isn't a requirement of businesses, encouraging customers to bring their own containers saves money, reduces waste, and makes sustainability-minded customers happy.

Last year, 41% of Portland's Nossa Familia Coffee customers brought their own cups or dined in, keeping 52,364 single-use cups out of landfills! [Source: 2024 article]

Help Customers Bring Their Own

  1. A container with leftoversDisplay a BYO sign to let customers know you accept reusable containers.
  2. Customers bring their clean, reusable cups or containers.
  3. Customers or your team fills them.
  4. They enjoy their food or drink—without the waste!

Resources

 

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Free Paint Giveaway

Paint giveaway event for households and businesses in the Oak Grove area.

PaintCare is giving away leftover paint in good condition to households and businesses as a part of Oregon's statewide paint stewardship program. Attendees can browse partially-filled containers of a variety of latex- and oil-based paints, primers, and stains. Color options and quantities will vary throughout the event.

Registration is required.

Limit: 15 gallons of free paint per household.

Properly Dispose of Batteries at Home

Properly disposing of household batteries can keep our communities safe and prevent garbage/recycling truck and facility fires. 

Battery Drop-Off

Household batteries can be recycled/properly disposed free of charge at Metro South’s Household Hazardous Waste Facility (2001 Washington St., Oregon City) and at other drop-off locations. Contact Metro’s Recycling Information Center at 503-234-3000 or use their Find a Recycler tool for disposal options.

While curbside battery collection is not currently available to those who live in apartment, condo, or other multifamily communities with shared garbage and recycling service, Clackamas County Sustainability & Solid Waste is working with garbage and recycling companies to find a way to offer this service in a safe manner in the future. 

Have friends or family with a glass bin? Ask to use theirs and be sure to follow the instructions below.

Curbside Collection of Batteries

Curbside collection of batteries is now available to single-family residential customers throughout Clackamas County (including within all cities) as part of regular garbage and recycling collection service. 

Haga click aquí para ver el video en español.

Discarded batteries can spark and cause fires when not handled properly, creating dangerous situations for garbage and recycling truck drivers, processing facilities, and our communities. Follow these three important steps below to safely recycle/dispose of batteries in your glass bin.

Batteries Accepted

AAA, AA, C, D, button-cell & coin, 6- & 9-volt batteries

Rechargeable and single-use batteries

Batteries that can be easily removed (e.g. from old cell phones, cameras, etc.)

Batteries NOT Accepted

Batteries that do not fit in a 1 qt. zip-seal bag

Damaged, corroded, or bulging batteries

Embedded or built-in batteries - those that are not easily removable from their products (e.g. electric toothbrush, wireless headphones, Bluetooth speakers, fitness watches/bands, vape pens, etc.)

Preparation

Follow these three steps to properly prepare your discarded batteries for recycling/disposal:

1. Tape ends of all batteries, except alkaline, with clear tape

  • Can’t tell what type of battery it is? Tape it.
  • For coin/button cell batteries, wrap tape around the entire battery. If you have multiple hearing aid or other coin/button cell batteries, save time by laying out a long strip of packing tape, place the batteries on the tape—be sure not to let them touch each other—and then place another long strip of tape on top.

2. Bag all batteries in a 1 qt. zip-seal clear plastic bag

  • Zip-seal clear plastic bags smaller than 1 qt. are accepted.
  • Bags larger than 1 qt. are not allowed.

3. Set on top of glass in the glass bin

  • Set out on your regular garbage day. (Note: It is best practice to set your glass bin out only when it is at least half-full.)
  • Limit of a single 1 qt. bag per pickup.
  • Missing a glass bin? Contact your garbage and recycling company.

Safety Tips

Damaged (or corroded, bulging, leaking) batteries must be taken to a household hazardous waste facility. Never put damaged batteries in the trash or curbside battery recycling program.

  1. Place damaged batteries in a small plastic bag with absorbent, nonflammable materials, such as kitty litter, sand, or dry rice. For extra safety, place this bag into a metal can, like an old soup can. 
  2. Take to a Household Hazardous Waste Facility for safe disposal (Call 503-234-3000 Monday-Friday, 8:30am – 5pm, for phone assistance).

Never remove embedded or built-in rechargeable batteries. If a battery doesn’t come out easily, take the whole device to a drop-off facility. Call Metro’s Recycling Information Center at 503-234-3000 on Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. or search Find a Recycler for recycling options.

Why it matters

Prevent fires: Batteries can spark and cause fires. Battery-caused fires in garbage trucks and waste processing facilities have increased dramatically in recent years. These fires put workers’ lives in danger and can cost millions of dollars in damage. To prevent fires, batteries must be collected separately from other waste and the batteries that are most likely to cause fires must be taped. Learn more.

Avoid harm from toxic chemicals: Many batteries contain materials that, if not disposed of properly, can be harmful to people, animals, and the environment.  By collecting batteries separately, we can ensure safe handling, disposal, and recycling.  [Source: EPA]

Recycle batteries into new things: Batteries contain metal, plastic, and other materials that can be used to make new products. Old batteries can be recycled into new batteries, as well as stainless steel and even road asphalt. Recycling these materials reduces the negative impacts of producing new products on our air, water, and climate. Learn more.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the batteries be placed in an open container like a coffee can?

No. The batteries need to be in a 1-quart clear sealed plastic bag for the safety of our recycling collectors. 

I have one recycling cart, not a specific glass bin. Do I put my batteries in my cart? 

No. Properly prepared batteries should only be placed with your glass in your glass bin. It is important for batteries to be collected separately to reduce the risk of fire.

If you don’t have a glass bin, you can place your bag of batteries and glass in a plastic crate or bucket next to your recycling cart for pickup. Please call your collector to have a glass bin delivered to you.

Glass should not be placed in your recycling cart as it reduces the value of materials when it breaks in the recycling truck and gets mixed in with the other materials. If you don’t know your collector, check our Garbage and Recycling Companies page.

Can the rechargeable batteries from vape pens be recycled? 

If the battery cartridge is replaceable, it can be included with the ends taped. Never remove embedded or built-in rechargeable batteries. Some rechargeable batteries are not designed or intended to be removed. Check the manufacturer instructions for disposal. For additional questions for rechargeable batteries, contact Metro’s Recycling Information Center at 503-234-3000 or use the Find a Recycler tool.

Can I recycle my corroding batteries?

Take your corroding, bulging or leaking batteries to a hazardous waste collection facility. Take lead acid batteries (automobile or motorcycle) to a battery shop.

My batteries weren’t picked up, what should I do now?

Make certain the batteries are in a clear sealed bag and prepared properly. Sometimes there can be issues when new initiatives begin. If your batteries aren’t being picked-up please call your collector. If you don’t know your collector, check our Garbage and Recycling Companies page.

What if I live in an apartment, condo, or mobile home community and don’t have my own glass bin?

This program is designed for single-family recycling at this time. You can take batteries to a household hazardous waste facility, battery store or home improvement store. Find details at Metro’s Recycling Information Center at 503-234-3000 or use the Find a Recycler tool to learn where you can drop off batteries and other materials for reuse and recycling.

Battery PSAs

These Public Service Announcements (PSAs) are short videos that educate the public about the importance of disposing of batteries properly and help spread awareness so we can keep our communities safe.

Ayude a mantener a todos seguros - Recicle sus pilas correctamente (video en español)

Recicle sus pilas correctamente - Ayude a mantener a todos seguros (video en español)

Reduzca los incendios - Recicle sus pilas correctamente (video en español)

Recicle pilas en casas unifamiliares con 3 sencillos pasos (video en español)

Have a question about other materials? 

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