Portland ranks as 3rd least-wasteful city

Wednesday, June 10, 2009, 1:41pm PDT  |  Modified: Wednesday, June 10, 2009, 2:10pm

Portland Business Journal

Portlanders may be cleaner than Seattleites, according to one recent study.

A new report from Nalgene Outdoor called “Least Wasteful Cities” ranks Portland No. 3. Seattle is No. 4.

Portland’s high rankings:

• Using reusable containers in place of single-serve bottles of water/soda or other beverages — 1st

• Using reusable containers in place of disposable food storage items — 1st

• Buying bulk food to avoid extra packaging — 1st

• Not buying bottled water — 1st

• Shopping at local markets that carry locally grown food — 1st

• Using a reusable grocery bag — 1st

• Buying second-hand clothing, electronics and furniture — 1st

• Throwing out less than two bags of trash each week — 2nd

• Saving leftover meals and food to eat again — 2nd

Portland’s low rankings:

• Using rain barrels — 12th

• Limiting showers to less than 5 minutes — 14th

• Reusing Ziploc bags and tin foil — 15th

Overall, 78 percent of Portland residents consider themselves to be “eco-conscious”; 88 percent plan on being more environmentally conscious in the next year; and 57 percent of Portland residents think their city is on the right track to becoming more environmentally responsible.

Rochester, N.Y.-based Nalgene tested America’s top 25 cities on everything from recycling, to using rain barrels, to reusing wrapping paper and rubber bands.

San Francisco ranked No. 1 overall, followed by New York City. Atlanta ranked last at No. 25.