SEATTLE (Recycling Monster): One by one the women show up to the parking lot at Rockwood Station apartments. On a cool spring morning, they greet each other with warm smiles and hugs before putting on their safety gear and getting to work.

“We remove old decals, clean bins and apply new decals,” says Anallely Rodriguez, field and outreach manager for Trash for Peace, one of three community partners – including Junk It Junk Removal and PSU Community Environmental Services – that are helping Metro make good on its commitment to improve garbage and recycling services across the region. 

Her crew is made up of Spanish-speaking and bilingual environmental promoters whose families all live in apartments.

Metro’s regional decal project offers them – all working mothers – a flexible schedule, decent wages and the opportunity to advance Trash for Peace’s mission of reducing waste and encouraging resilient communities. “The work is really important,” Rodriguez says, “Not just for us but for the community.” 

By the end of June, all three of Metro’s community partners will have posted new signage – about what can and cannot be recycled – at roughly 6000 multifamily sites. The project covers apartments, condos, mobile home parks, retirement communities, etc. – places where residents share garbage and recycling services. 

Courtesy: www.oregonmetro.gov