Portland Garbage On The Street Has To Stop, Mayor Wheeler Vows

PORTLAND, OR – Everyone knows about keeping Portland weird. How about keeping Portland clean?

That was one of the things on the mind of Mayor Ted Wheeler as he held his monthly news conference on Thursday.

Striking a nostalgic note, Wheeler started talking about the Portland that he grew up in was not one where you would see coffee cups strewn across the streets, garbage everywhere.

"I know that we're a different city, we're a much bigger city, a more dynamic city," he said. Get all the latest information on what's happening in your community by signing up for Patch's newsletters and breaking news alerts.

At the same time, he said it's no excuse for the city to look as it does.

Wheeler said that he knows that the cleanliness of the streets are the responsibility of a coalition of groups including ODOT, TriMet, the city, private trash haulers, neighborhood associations, and more.

Wheeler said that he is meeting with them, working with them to come up with an solution.

"We need to come together with a new and aggressive strategy around keeping our community clean and keeping our community livable," Wheeler said. "I don't have a program to lay out for you today but I want you to know I am working on it."

Wheeler said that the plan is to come up with a "shock and awe" strategy to make sure that city streets are clean.

""Portland should be the cleanest, most livable city in the United States," Wheeler said.

Photo via city of Portland.