Disposal

Waste Composition Study

Recycling Characterization and Composition Study: 2009/2010

In June 2009, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality began field work on a year-long statewide waste composition study, with assistance from Metro, Marion County, Lane County, the City of Eugene, and the City of Portland. Field work for the study was conducted by Sky Valley Associates, and involved collecting and sorting 999 samples of solid waste weighing on average more than 200 pounds each, collected at 58 landfills, transfer stations, and mixed solid waste processing facilities throughout an entire calendar year. These samples were sorted into 130 material categories, and all beverage containers in the samples were also counted both by beverage type and by container material type. In all, 113.9 tons of solid waste were sorted, and 23,148 beverage containers were counted throughout the entire State of Oregon.

Results from the study have been compiled, but the final report has not yet been completed. The table below gives the percentage of each material in the disposed wastestream statewide:

• Table A2: Statewide Waste Composition Results - 2009/2010. PDF

Detailed information on the composition of waste from different parts of the state for different sources is given in Excel spreadsheets that are downloadable at the following links:

• Statewide results XLS
• Metro Tri-county area XLS
• Downstate (all except Metro area) XLS
• City of Portland XLS
• Rest of Metro Area XLS
• Marion County XLS
• Lane County XLS
• City of Eugene XLS
• Rest of Lane County XLS
• Rest of Oregon (all Oregon except Metro area and Marion and Lane Counties) XLS
• Summary By Jurisdiction XLS

The final waste composition study report will be published here when completed. The methodology for the 2009/2010 study and the 2005/2006 study was similar to the methodology outlined in Appendices B and C of the 2002 study report.

• 2002 Waste Characterization and Composition Report

The presentation below was presented at the Association of Oregon Recyclers conference in June 2011. It presents an overview of trends in solid waste disposal and recovery from 1993 through 2010, and integrates results from waste composition studies, disposal tonnage reports and the annual material recovery survey. It includes pictures showing the way that DEQ waste composition studies are carried out, and methodology for analysis.

• Oregon Waste 2009/2010 AOR presentation PDF
  AOR presentation on June 18, 2011

2005/06 Results:

• Table A2 Oregon Statewide Waste Composition 2005 - Percent PDF
  Table A2 gives the composition of Oregon's municipal waste stream in percentages, showing both the "field results" based on direct measurement of samples sorted by material category at the disposal sites, and the "contamination correction" removes the effects of cross-contamination of the different material categories (i.e. removing food waste stuck to and absorbed into the cardboard sorted at the disposal site). For more information on the methods of the cross-contamination part of the study, see Appendix B of the 2002 Study report.
• Table A3 Tons of Material Disposed Statewide: 2005 PDF
• Material Definitions PDF
• Samples Collected by Substream PDF

The two Marion County documents are based on the extra sampling of waste in Marion County funded by the County:

• Marion County 2005/06 Waste Composition Supplement
• Marion County 2005/06 Waste Composition Appendices

[print version]