The Latest From Sustainable Susan

I swear this is a guy. Okay, maybe a trannie. But I'm not buying that Sustainable Suzy from Portland City Hall is a woman. On the other hand, I also don't buy "her" lies:

Just like when Portlanders first started curbside recycling, it takes time to create and establish new food scrap collection routines for your household. Residents in a year-long pilot program found that after a little practice, they were able to make the system work and reported high rates of satisfaction.

Well, there's a lie, right there: out of 2000 "surveys" they sent out to those folks who were stuffed into the "pilot program", only 300 were returned. And the "survey" - which they can't seem to locate right now - was slanted. You're not supposed to remember that there were three boxes that could be checked: "somewhat satisfied", "moderately satisfied", and "very satisfied". Gee - you don't suppose they were shooting for a "high satisfaction rate", do ya?

And they have some handy tips and tricks to share with you idiots:

• 
  Set your green roll cart out for pickup every single week — even if it’s not full. The food may not look like a lot in the big green Portland Composts! roll cart, but it really adds up when every Portlander participates.

• Consider saving some of the last fall leaves to line your cart throughout the winter. If you don’t have leftover yard debris, you can still keep the bottom of your cart clean by lining it with a few sheets of newspaper, a paper bag or a take-out pizza box.

• Lining your kitchen compost pail will also help keep your green cart clean. You can tie off approved compostable kitchen pail bags to keep your food scraps from touching the inside of your green roll cart. Check out the list of approved compostable pail liners here.

• Empty the contents of your kitchen compost pail, including the compostable liner, into your green Portland Composts! roll cart frequently.  The more often you empty your kitchen pail, the less time food scraps spend in your kitchen.

• When it is not freezing, give your green cart a rinse with non-toxic soap and water. Pour dirty water onto grass or gravel, not down the storm drain.  See how it’s done by watching our instructional videos. Try sprinkling a little baking soda in your clean cart to avoid odors.

Fellow Portlanders share tips about what to do when you have messy, stinky or wet food scraps

“I wrap messy food in newspaper and then place in the pail,” said Montavilla resident Megan Tiede. “The newspaper can be composted along with the food scraps. And even better – it’s free!”

“Rather than putting stinky food scraps, like meat and bones, into my kitchen compost pail, I add them to an old yogurt container I keep in my freezer,” recommends Rebecca Raymond, resident of the Overlook neighborhood. “Then I empty them directly into my green composting roll cart the night before my pickup day!”

“I drain as much liquid as possible from food before putting it in my kitchen compost pail,” suggests George Patterson, resident of the Humboldt neighborhood. “So if my kids have leftover cereal, I drain off the milk before adding it to the pail.”

How have you made food scrap composting successful in your household? Share your tips, ask questions and learn from other Portland residents on our Facebook page or contact us:

Golly! You mean it's possible to be unsuccessful at forced slop-bucketing? Say it isn't so, Suzy!

Tax dollars at work....

Portland is a leader
in imagining the 
future of cities.

That's scary!

Comments

[ZZMike]

"Just like when Portlanders first started ..."

She meant to write "Just as when ...."

"... a paper bag or a take-out pizza box."

Everyone will be required to order take-out pizza at least once a week. Delivery will be OK once they start using electric cars or bicycles.

"Portland Composts!"

With a "!"??? That usually means the imperative case.

[TMI]

I don't think people appreciate how authentic Portlandia reallly is.
.

[Max]

As I've mentioned before, Portlandia isn't comedy - it's a freakin' documentary.