It’s that time of year again when we get the urge to do a bit of spring cleaning and get rid of all that clutter that has been gathering in our closets, basements and garages.  How convenient that the Eliot Neighborhood Association is organizing its 10th annual spring clean-up event where you can bring items that you no longer want that someone else may have been pining for and throw away that broken chair that’s taking up valuable real estate in your shed.

Community collection events are meant to invest in community waste reduction and reuse with prioritizing recycling and reuse over disposal. Eliot’s collection event is on Saturday, May 19 from 10 am -2 pm at the Legacy Emanuel parking lot at 120 N Knott which is at N Graham and Williams and is sponsored by Metro, BPS, and NECN (the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods). The event  allows us to collect reusable items, broken or unwanted electronics, books, clothes, household junk and old furniture just to name a few. It is the same stuff you would take to Good Will or the Metro transfer station with the convenience of one stop dumping.

This is the only fundraiser for our neighborhood annually and the donations that are collected are used to sponsor events and neighborhood activities such as mural painting and social events. Also, the neighborhood association is a 501(c)3 nonprofit  so all donations are tax deductible – which is another bonus besides having cleaner closets, organized basements and clutter free garages.

There are a few rules that Metro will STRICTLY enforce. We absolutely can NOT ACCEPT any wood, paint cans, remodeling debris like ceiling tiles, dry wall, flooring, siding, insulation, electrical wiring or panels, or fire proofing materials and refrigerators or anything that might contain asbestos or lead. They are not allowed in the landfill in the city of Portland so we cannot collect them.  We also can NOT take any yard debris, dirt, stumps, hazardous materials, household garbage or curbside recyclables.

Outside of those prohibited items we can take other items that would fit in a dumpster.

We CAN, however, take your scrap metal and anything with a cord thanks to Green Century Electronics Recycling.  Household items and furniture will be picked up by Community Warehouse. Books will be taken to the Children’s Book Bank and Title Wave Books.

There will be an onsite swap meet so come by and see if anything suits your fancy and bring a bag of things you’re willing to part with… or fill up your car’s trunk or pickup truck.

We do offer a pick-up service for seniors and disabled with a prior appointment. We need people to help with unloading, sorting, traffic control and photography as well as for our walk around trash pick-up.

We hope to see you there!

Contact Sue:
sstringer@gmail.com