From electronics to tires, see what outer East Portland neighbors recycled — and why organizers say that this year it mattered more than ever …
Outside the Brentwood-Darlington Community Center, and also indoors, this year’s “Spring Green” Neighborhood Recycling Event was alive with activity.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Neighbors from across the neighborhood and beyond streamed into the Brentwood-Darlington Community Center on S.E. 62nd Avenue, on the afternoon of March 21st, to take part in a gathering designed to keep a remarkable amount of stuff out of the landfill.
These local residents were coming to the “Spring Green” Neighborhood Recycling Event, hosted by the Brentwood-Darlington Neighborhood Association (BDNA), with support from the Southeast Uplift neighborhood coalition.
BDNA Treasurer Katie Borofka is one of the many volunteers who keep the event running smoothly.
“Welcome to our event,” greeted BDNA Treasurer Katie Borofka, one of the main organizers. “Kylie Hyde, our secretary, and Tyler Samples, one of our Board members, and I began working on this last October,” she told /East Portland News.
“While the three of us have done all the main planning, we have a group of about ten of us here helping to run the event today,” Borofka acknowledged, glancing over at the busy check-in table.
BDNA Board Member Tyler Samples monitors electrical and electronics recycling at the event.
Crystal Potter, a volunteer member of the Brentwood-Darlington Neighborhood Emergency Team, listens to a neighbor’s concerns.
“We’re recycling electronics, tires, medical devices, batteries, CFL bulbs, and sharps,” Borofka told us. “And we also have vendors offering information about solar power and native plants; we have bike tuneups, and other folks inside – including our Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET) volunteers.”
At the “Seeds and Plant Starts Swap” table, adding a distinctly springtime flavor, it’s Carol Tompkins with Produce for People at Brentwood South Community Garden giving away plant starts.
Here’s Daniel Grady, Lead Farmer with Black Futures Farm, telling about their program, which is located just a block away.
Adding to the event was a raffle for an E-bike donated by a local business, with proceeds supporting BDNA neighborhood activities.
For Borofka, the value of the day went well beyond the full recycling bins and pallets. “The best thing that can come out of hosting an event like this is diverting a lot of recyclable waste from the landfills,” she reflected. “But also getting a lot of our neighborhood and community together, in person, to get to know each other, is great.”
Providing on-site battery recycling, it’s Oregon METRO Hazardous Waste Technician Moira Painter.
Success, by the numbers
After the day was done, Borofka shared some numbers with East Portland News that underscored just how much impact the afternoon had.
Organizers counted more than 300 people coming through that day, and there were 12 vendors tabling and participating.
- Green Century Recycling reported 4,960 pounds of recyclable material diverted from the landfill.
- Volunteers from Bikes 4 Humanity helped 20 neighbors with bike tuneups; one person donated an outgrown bike, and another – whose own bike had a damaged and unsafe frame – went home with that donated bicycle.
- Les Schwab accepted about 40 tires for recycling.
- And Waste-Free Advocates calculated the total value of items that they recycled at $4,115.
“There was a lot of general appreciation for this from the many people who came through,” Borofka said, summing up the mood of the afternoon, as volunteers packed up tables and the last cars pulled away.
In just three hours, “Spring Green” gave neighbors a practical way to clear out clutter, to protect the environment, and to strengthen community ties — one trunkload at a time.
© 2026 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
