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To provide better service to its customers at its transfer stations in Northwest Portland and Oregon City, Metro is asking those who may be planning to clean out their garages, basements, attics or bring construction or other dry “self-haul” waste to a Metro transfer station to wait until Friday, March 1. This is due to larger quantities of “wet” garbage being held at Metro’s transfer stations that cannot be delivered to the Columbia Ridge Landfill near Arlington because of weather conditions that have restricted traffic on Interstate 84.
Metro usually encounters a few days of difficult weather conditions each year that affect the delivery of garbage between its transfer stations and the landfill. In most cases a transfer station can hold a few extra days’ worth of garbage without affecting services to customers.
Road conditions in the past week and weather forecasts for the week ahead pose challenges for Metro’s ability to transport garbage through the Columbia River Gorge. This limits the capacity of Metro’s transfer stations to handle “dry waste” such as construction and demolition debris and other bulky waste items that are not usually collected by garbage haulers at homes and businesses.
Self-haul customers who come to Metro’s transfer stations in the next few weeks are likely to encounter very long wait times at the station. Those who cannot wait until March 1 to get rid of their dry waste are encouraged to visit any of the following facilities. Please note that most of these facilities cannot accept wet garbage, and customers should call a facility first for its rates, the types of waste it accepts, and hours of operations:
Customers are encouraged to call Metro’s Recycling Information Center at 503-234-3000, Mondays through Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., to receive the latest information on conditions at Metro transfer stations.
Household and small business customers are encouraged to continue to bring hazardous waste to a Metro facility. Those who self-haul their own household “wet” garbage to a Metro transfer station can continue to do so, though customers should expect long wait times at both facilities.