Columbia County, Oregon, Celebrates One Year of the Reuse Program!

Reuse Program diverts 100,000 pounds from landfill!

ST. HELENS, Ore., October 17, 2026 —

Columbia County Solid Waste Division created a reuse program, the first of its kind in the county. In 2024, the county solid waste coordinator realized an opportunity to amplify the community’s waste diversion efforts. Through an extensive two-year research and planning process, the county partnered with Hudson Garbage Service to develop the Reuse Program.

The Reuse Advocate hired by Hudson Garbage Service identifies and recovers new or like-new items from the tip floor, tests the items to ensure they are in functional and sellable condition, and stores them in three 20-foot containers prior to distributing them to local nonprofits. The items range from construction supplies and tools, recreation and sporting gear, kids’ toys, clothing, home décor, furniture, art and craft materials, and other reusable items. The Reuse Advocate tracks all items, material weights, and which community partner received which items.

Over the last year, October 2025-2026, the program has diverted 100,000 pounds of material from the landfill. The weight does not even resemble the amount of good, usable items that were distributed our community partners, such as Habitat for Humanity, Top-Notch Thrift Store, the Scappoose Senior Center, the city of St. Helens Parks and Recreation, schools, libraries and other local nonprofit organizations.

In addition to the huge success of material diversion for a higher and better use, the Reuse Advocate made strides connecting unusual items to local organizations.

Unique community connections included but not limited to:

• Gifted accordions and keyboards to ArtMax Academy to build community through the arts.
• Provided CPR mannequins to Eisenschmidt Pool in St. Helens for lifeguard training.
• Provided St. Helens Softball League with quality softball gear for their teams.
• Gifted art supplies, books, puzzles/games, and office supplies to St. Helens Public Schools.
• Scappoose and St. Helens Libraries received books, dvds, games, and cabinets.
• Provided St. Helens Parks & Rec craft supplies: paint, markers, paper and canvases for after school and summer programs.
• Gave OMIC Fab Lab Scappoose Legos® for a youth project, vintage National Geographics, fabric and crafts.
• St. Helens Senior Center - walkers, canes, adult diapers - free for senior citizen use.
• Scappoose Senior Center Thrift Store - sewing machines, home goods, vintage magazines - supports senior meals, bingo, quilt-making and wellness programs.
• Scappoose Senior Center repaired sewing machines for the St. Helens Library "library of things" program.

All items were recovered at the Columbia County Transfer Station and distributed to community partners in Columbia County.

Dave Marble, with Habitat for Humanity said, “We pickup truck loads weekly from the transfer station and are super appreciative of the program! It helps support Habitat for Humanity’s mission to build homes, community and hope for local families and individuals.”

Tatum Flowers, Columbia County Solid Waste Coordinator, said the results show how unique and effective the program is. “The web of community connections through the reuse program has been impactful, especially in this time of need,” Flowers said.

In addition to creating another life for useable products, the Reuse Program generates support for local nonprofits to sustain senior meal programs and housing for community members, supports local jobs, and items are available to the community at affordable prices. It saves the county money on transfer station costs and extends the life of the landfill making this program a win-win for the county, community and the environment.

About Columbia County’s Solid Waste Division: Columbia County’s Solid Waste Division works to protect human health and the environment by providing responsible waste management services and promoting waste reduction, recycling, and reuse throughout the county. The division oversees the Columbia County Transfer Station operations and supports community programs that help reduce landfill waste, conserve resources, and keep reusable materials in circulation within local communities.

###