PBOT’s certified compost comes from Leaf Day leaves and leaf collection citywide
(April 24, 2025) If your weekend plans include coming to the Free Compost Days at Sunderland Yard, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) recycling operation in NE Portland, PBOT wants you to know how to enter and navigate the area to have a safe visit.
On April 26 and 27, in celebration of Earth Day, Portlanders can pick up FREE compost at our Sunderland Maintenance Yard, 9325 NE Sunderland Avenue, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. This offer ends on April 27 or when we run out of compost. This year's event is only two days long, so we do not anticipate running out of compost.
Hundreds of people came in their vehicles to Sunderland Yard last year, creating long lines of vehicles waiting to get in and traffic congestion as some drivers entered the facility from different directions.
This year, PBOT has devised a plan to route traffic safely into and through the area on Saturday and Sunday. Crews will monitor traffic and impacts on the area.
Bottom line: If you're coming for free compost, pack your patience. And know that we should have plenty for everyone, so feel free to come on Sunday rather than rushing to get in on Saturday.
Visitors planning to pick up free compost at Sunderland Yard, at 9325 NE Sunderland Avenue, should know:
- Traffic on NE Sunderland Avenue will be limited to one lane and southbound travel only. The street normally has two lanes, one in each direction.
- This means everyone going to the yard will need to enter from the northern intersection of NE Sunderland Avenue and NE 33rd Drive.
- The southern intersection of NE Sunderland Avenue and NE 33rd Drive will be CLOSED. Travelers exiting the yard will leave through that intersection, but no traffic will be allowed to enter Sunderland Avenue from that location.
If you have an open-bed vehicle, PBOT will load the compost for you. If you want to bag your own, please bring your own shovel and bags.
Arriving on bike? Head to the front of the line.
Be mindful of the traffic control and flaggers as you approach Sunderland Yard and obey traffic laws.
"PBOT's free compost days have become a hit with the public," said Deputy City Administrator for Public Works Priya Dhanapal, who oversees transportation, water, stormwater and sewer services for the City of Portland. "PBOT crews work hard to collect leaves to keep our streets safe during rainstorms. Our longstanding practice of turning leaves into compost is emblematic of the City's commitment to sustainability."
Every fall PBOT composts over 5,000 tons of leaves collected annually through the bureau's Leaf Day program. This effort helps keep streets safe by preventing clogged storm drains, flooded intersections, and slippery roads. The leaves are taken to PBOT's Sunderland Yard Recycling Facility, where crews turn the massive piles and they can "cook" and become compost.
PBOT offers compost for sale each year, starting in early March. The quality, maturation, and sizing of the final compost are regularly monitored according to United States Compost Council guidelines. The facility has been a member of the USCC since 2007.
All persons using the PBOT’s Free Compost Program do so voluntarily and take and use products at their own risk. All products are offered “as is."
Questions? Call 503-823-3500. Happy gardening!
For more details, and how you can skip the line and buy compost starting in early March each year at Sunderland, see PBOT's Sunderland Yard website.