ODOT is closing Highway 213 near Metro South from March 22-27, and garbage and recycling customers are encouraged to take loads to Metro Central during the closure.

Imagine sorting through bits and pieces of your daily life, things you’ve tossed away, from that wild fashion accessory that never quite worked, to a well-loved baking pan used to make your family memorable meals and festive feasts.

Contemplating that tangled mess of unpredictable odds and ends and guiding them to become objects suitable to be contemplated as fine art may seem unimaginable or downright ludicrous. For Jen Fuller, one of five local artists given seven months of scavenging privileges and access to the region’s discards dropped off at Metro Central Transfer Station in Northwest Portland, "what began as an exploration of materials has morphed into an overwhelming and emotional experience."

Metro now accepting applications for inaugural Trash-to-Art program

Every day, workers and machines at Metro's Central Transfer Station go through more than one and a quarter million pounds of trash. Recycling and composting programs help reduce the amount of waste that heads to the station but there are still items that aren't or can't be recycled, at least until now. Metro has joined with other organizations to start a new recycling program; making art out of trash. Metro has partnered with Cracked Pots and the new operator of Metro Central transfer station, Recology, to choose artists in the Portland metropolitan area to participate in the inaugural 2011 Pacific Northwest Art Program.

The Metro council last night unanimously approved a franchise permit for Columbia Biogas to operate a facility in northeast Portland that will recycle food waste from commercial and industrial sources, keep about 200,000 tons of waste out of landfills or the sewer system, and produce enough electricity to power up to 5,000 homes. Columbia Biogas plans to convert local food waste into renewable power, clean water, fertilizer and soil amendments.

Over the past fiscal year, the Portland Expo Center increased its rate of diverting materials and garbage from landfills by approximately 235% through focusing business and operations efforts on recycling and composting post-event materials from consumer shows, trade shows and special events. A combination of efforts among Expo staff, contractors, clients and the facility's commitment to achieving the Recycle At Work program goals contributed to this success.