Future Metro South recycling and transfer center

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Metro is looking for a site to build a new, state-of-the-art center for the collection of waste and recycling in Clackamas County.

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A modern facility

The future recycling and transfer center will be designed with many state-of-the-art features found in modern facilities like the North Transfer Station in Seattle, Washington. This station was designed with sustainability in mind, with features to improve safety, reduce energy demand and minimize noise, dust and odors. The site also hosts open public spaces for people to enjoy. Photo: courtesy of King County Solid Waste Division

worker amid a mountain of recyclables at Metro South

A new facility means better recycling

Many materials that come to Metro South still have reuse and recycle value, but it is difficult to sort recycling from trash at the current facility. With more space and an efficient design, more items can be recovered, reused and recycled.

public art installation at a transfer station featuring tires

Building a community asset

The new facility will be more than a place to collect waste, it will be an asset to the people of the region. The community’s input will inform the design of the facility so that its features will provide the greatest community benefits. These could include community gathering places, public art, an education space, a reuse store, or bicycle and pedestrian pathways. Photo by Carol dePelecyn, ReTire, 2007, from the King County Public Art Collection

long lines of cars waiting to get into Metro South transfer station

Many people use Metro South

For 30 years, Metro South has provided a space for businesses and residents to bring their waste and recycling. Over 285,000 customers visited the facility in 2018 – an average of 750 every day. The current facility was not designed for this many customers, which leads to long lines and traffic congestion. A new Metro South site would make it more efficient and safer to drop off bulky trash, recycling and hazardous waste.

Household waste, business refuse, construction debris and more – every day the people of the region throw things away. Much of the waste goes to the Metro South Transfer Station where it gets sorted before being sent to its final destination.

As our region grows, so do our garbage and recycling needs. The aging transfer station can no longer safely accommodate the over 250,000 public and private customers it serves every year.

Metro is planning to improve the services offered by locating and building a new, state-of-the-art facility in Clackamas County. After hearing from the community, the preferred site and the services it will offer will be determined by the Metro Council in late 2020.

What do you think? How could this large investment benefit your community? Your input will shape what comes next for the new Metro South recycling and transfer center.

Project area

Metro South transfer and recycling center community map

This map shows the areas in Clackamas County where Metro is proposing to build a new transfer and recycling center. The siting area is centered around the existing Metro South transfer and recycling center. The siting area is bound by Metro’s urban growth boundary in the south and the Willamette River on the west. The boundaries on the north and east were determined by staff based on access to major highways and transportation corridors. 

Properties zoned for this type of use within the siting area may be considered for the future Metro South transfer and recycling center. The jurisdictions within the area include the cities of Gladstone, Johnson City, Milwaukie, Oregon City, as well as portions of Happy Valley, Southeast Portland and unincorporated Clackamas County. This map highlights the communities within the siting area, whose input will be vital to the facility siting process.