Bold claim: A trusted recycling partner dumped 17 tons of plastic in a landfill, not recycled as promised, triggering scrutiny and a potential reshaping of a regional waste program. And this is where the story gets more complicated...
The Metro regional government is closely reviewing the performance of City of Roses Disposal & Recycling, a prominent Portland hauler contracted to manage garbage and recycling for the Oregon Convention Center, after investigators found the company disposed of more than 17 tons of plastic in a landfill. The disposal occurred between July 2024 and August 2025, due to space constraints and challenges in identifying suitable markets for the material.
City of Roses has long been celebrated in the Portland area for its environmental efforts and for being a Black-owned business with deep community ties. Yet, it has recently faced heightened scrutiny over multiple government projects tied to Metro, Multnomah County, and the city of Portland.
Metro is evaluating whether City of Roses is compliant with other regulatory rules as well. The agency is both the local regulator for commercial recyclers and a major client, having awarded the company roughly $5.5 million in contracts, including work at the convention center.
A Metro spokesperson declined to confirm whether the agency is investigating the convention center contract or other engagements, stating that Metro consistently reviews contract performance and would not comment on ongoing reviews.
In December, Metro issued a violation notice to City of Roses—one of just 13 such notices in the past five years. The agency found the company failed to maintain and report accurate records and improperly discarded 17 tons of plastic from the convention center, citing space constraints and market challenges as contributing factors. A $10,690 fine was imposed, and Metro demanded an operating plan to improve tracking and reporting. While staff recommended shortening City of Roses’ operating license to a one-year renewal, policymakers did not adopt that change. City of Roses paid the fine and submitted the improvement plan on February 17.
City of Roses’ CEO, Alando Simpson, told The Oregonian/OregonLive that most of the 17-ton disposal resulted from the company’s inability to find a buyer for the plastic, and emphasized that this accounted for a small share of the company’s total waste handling. He added that oversight measures were strengthened promptly in response to the violations.
The episode prompted pushback against potential limitations to the company’s franchise, given its three-decade track record and Simpson’s political and business network. Simpson noted that his father, Al Simpson, started the business in 1996 with a second mortgage, and that City of Roses has since secured contracts with numerous local agencies, building a reputation for sustainability and for providing job opportunities for people of color. The company now employs over 75 people and has claimed to have diverted more than 75 million pounds of material from landfills. It also led the way in Oregon by introducing an electric garbage truck.
Simpson described City of Roses as a locally owned, Black-owned small business competing in an industry dominated by multinational firms, and said the firm prioritizes accountability and infrastructure that keep materials circulating, supporting a resilient circular economy for Oregon.
In 2024, City of Roses won a $400,000 Metro contract to manage day-to-day garbage and recycling at the convention center, beating two competitors, Recology (California-based) and Republic Services (Arizona-based). Although City of Roses bid higher overall, the company edged Recology on a 100-point evaluation scale (78.88 to 78.25), with particularly strong scores for diversity and sustainability.
Following the incident, Metro staff proposed a shorter renewal term for City of Roses’ franchise, but the Metro Council ultimately renewed the contract for the standard five years, while adding conditions and requiring further improvements.
Green project concerns have dogged City of Roses’ operations. Auditors in Multnomah County found that the company sometimes reported recycling quantities by eyeballing loads rather than weighing them, a practice that falls short of LEED standards and Green Building Council guidelines. While this did not derail LEED certification for the related projects, auditors urged heightened oversight to ensure compliance.
A separate complaint regarding the Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion alleged that City of Roses issued questionable recycling reports, though the city did not fully pursue the recycling rate issue due to scope. Portland’s code generally requires at least 75% solid waste recycling on large projects, and city officials noted that market fluctuations can complicate meeting this target.
Metro has historically allowed visual estimates for day-to-day hauling, but in December adopted stricter reporting requirements for City of Roses. In another Beaverton school project, Metro found that other contractors had diverted debris directly to landfills rather than sending it to a material recovery facility first, prompting questions about how materials are processed and sorted.
As the investigation continues, City of Roses has committed to further improvements. Metro’s December renewal included new measuring standards, and City of Roses has begun a formal internal review with a consulting partner, plus monthly commodity reviews. The company’s contracts with Metro and other agencies total $5.5 million and cover sites including the Oregon Zoo, Portland’s 5 Center for the Arts, and Oxbow Park, among others. The largest contract, worth about $2.75 million, covers Metro facilities such as the Report Illegal Dumping patrol building and the St. John’s Landfill.
Metro personnel say additional questions about City of Roses’ procedures are under review and expected to be resolved by June. If further compliance issues emerge, Metro may terminate contracts, though such terminations are uncommon and typically allowed when performance falls short.
Simpson reaffirmed accountability, telling Metro in December, “We are not running from accountability. In fact, we are leaning into it.”
Would you side with executives who stress firm accountability and reform, or with critics who argue the company’s long-term impact on the community should be prioritized even in the face of these violations? Share your thoughts in the comments.
