Composting | What is E-Waste? | Avoid Recycling Mistakes | Waste Reduction Tips | More Resources | Get Involved
Waste Reduction Links
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Wondering what you can recycle in your curbside bin at home? Look here and use the resources listed on these pages for more information. Or click here to view the Roll Cart Recycling Guide.
- Metro Recycling Hotline: Metro's friendly staff will answer your questions about recycling, disposal and waste prevention. Call 503-234-3000, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, or visit the Metro Garbage and Recycling website.
- EG Metals, Inc. offers scrap metal and electronics recycling services. Accepted materials include:
- Ferrous & non-ferrous metals
- Computer electronics & accessories including circuit boards, towers, desktops, keyboards & mice
- Consumer electronics including stereo equipment, fax machines
- Automobiles
- Auto parts, wheels, motors
- Appliances
- Lawn mowers
- Barbecues
- Cell phones with or without batteries
- Power supplies
- Batteries - cell phone, laptop and auto. (No nicad or alkaline batteries)
EG Metals is located at 620 SW Wood Street, Hillsboro. For more information call (503) 693-8939 or visit their website at www.egmetals.com.
- Far West Fibers is a recycling facility that accepts many materials not accepted in curbside recycling bins. Other materials accepted at Far West Fibers include:
- Plastic grocery bags and other sheet plastic
- Ferrous and non-ferrous metal
- Block Styrofoam (polystyrene)
- CD's, DVD's, plastic jewel cases and audio and video tapes
- Hard plastic containers such as plant pots and other plastics not accepted at the curbside
- Athletic shoes
The Hillsboro facility is located at 6440 SE Alexander Street. For more information, visit their website at www.farwestfibers.com.
- Tualatin Valley Waste Recovery (Hillsboro Landfill) is a recycling facility that sorts construction and demolition debris such as concrete, glass and metal, for recycling. The facility also has a recycling drop off that accepts:
- Cardboard
- Newspaper
- Scrap metal
- Yard debris
- Wood wastes
The facility is located at 3205 SE Minter Bridge Road in Hillsboro. For more information, visit the Waste Management website.
Composting
Composting is a great way to reduce waste going to landfill. Nearly 15% of waste sent to landfill in the Metro region is compostable. Composting also produces high quality fertilizer for your plants or garden. More information on composting at home can be found here. Additionally, the Metro region is developing collection programs for food waste. Stay tuned for more information on these efforts!
What is E-Waste?
 E-Waste is electronic waste such as televisions, computer monitors, computers and laptops. Effective January 2010, it is illegal for residents and businesses to dispose of e-waste in the trash or at a landfill. Visit the Oregon Department of Environment Quality's website for more information.
In order to help Oregonians recycle responsibly, Oregon E-Cycles collection sites accept e-waste free of charge. For recycling sites in and near Hillsboro, search the Oregon E-Cycles "Find a Collector" website or call 1-888-5-ECYCLE.
Wait!! If your electronics still work, donate them to a local re-use shop or Freegeek.
Avoid Recycling Mistakes
The two most frequent (and costly) recycling mistakes are: putting plastic bags and glass in with your comingled recyclables. Both of these create hazards for the sorting machines once they come into the recycling facility. So please remember, do not put plastic bags into the recycling bin and be sure to separate your glass into the red recycle bin. Most grocery stores accept used plastic grocery bags for recycling, usually in bins nearby the shopping carts at the front of the store.
So you've heard of recycling – but what is "precycling"? The concept of precycling focuses on the first two of the 3 R's – reduce and reuse – and encourages thinking about the life cycle of the product as part of the buying decision. For more information, check out Portland State University's precycling website.
Waste Reduction Tips
 One of the easiest ways to make a difference is to use your purchasing power as a consumer to vote for more sustainable products and packaging.
- When choosing between two similar products, select the one with the least unnecessary packaging.
- Buy produce items such as tomatoes, apples, and garlic separately instead of in prepackaged containers.
- Buy in bulk whenever possible.
- Consider buying staple items like soap, toilet paper, and pet food in large or economy-size packages.
- Better yet, reuse the same container and refill it from bulk!
- When unloading groceries, put plastic produce bags into your reusable grocery bag to use again or to recycle at the grocery store.
- Opt out of unwanted mail by signing up for Do-Not-Mail lists. A website operated by the Direct Mail Association allows you to choose specific mail that you do not want to receive such as credit card offers and catalogs.
- Write your grocery list on the back of an envelope instead of buying a new pad of paper.
- Consider borrowing or sharing things that you use only once or infrequently. Borrowing materials like books and DVDs from your public library instead of buying them saves you money, ensures that materials will be reused, and decreases the amount of natural resources that we consume as a community. To see what you can borrow at our libraries, check out the Hillsboro Public Library Catalog.
- For many more tips, visit the EPA's waste website.
More Waste Reduction and Recycling Resources
The ReDirect Guide is a green business directory and lifestyle guide available for various cities. This can be very helpful if you would like to start making different choices but are not sure where to start. Check out the Portland-Vancouver ReDirect Guide for great ideas.
Freecycle Portland (groups.yahoo.com) is a website dedicated to allowing people to pass along still-usable items rather than throw those items away. Anyone can post FREE items to give away so things get reused and avoid the landfill. This is a great way to clean out your living space and give new life to something you no longer use.
Free Geek is an organization focused on reuse of electronics and education. This speaks to all three dimensions of sustainability: it is environmentally good to reuse and recycle computer parts, socially good to empower people to learn about computers and recycling, and economically good to reuse equipment to build employment skills and generate revenue. Free Geek accepts many kinds of electronics for recycling and reuse and also welcomes volunteers.
Catalog Choice - Reduce unsolicited catalogs, phone books, credit card offers, coupons and more from your mailbox!
The Center for a New American Dream helps Americans consume responsibly to protect the environment, enhance quality of life, and promote social justice.
Select Your Dex Reduce or opt-out the phone books you receive from Dex.
Paint Care Recycle your old paint with Paint Care, a new non-profit program.
Wheels for Wishes Donate your old car, truck, motorcycle, SUV, RV or boat to Wheels for Wishes, a vehicle donation program that benefits Make-A-Wish Oregon. For more information click on the link above or call toll free 1-888-298-9474.
You may also enjoy the 20-minute video "The Story of Stuff" at www.storyofstuff.com.
Get Involved
There are many opportunities in Hillsboro and throughout Oregon to clean up (and foster wildlife) in our communities and to help reduce waste and increase recycling.
- SOLVE is a volunteer organization that exists to bring Oregonians together to preserve the environment of our state. Check the SOLVE calendar for upcoming volunteer opportunities.
- Master Recyclers serves the Portland metro region. Their mission is to bridge the gap between awareness and action by motivating people to reduce waste in their homes and workplaces. Visit the Master Recycling Program website for more details.
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