Sustainability in Our Daily Operations

Of course, TriMet is more than vehicles. We build and maintain infrastructure (tracks and signals), customer amenities (shelters and platforms) and maintenance facilities that keep the wheels rolling. We strive to do it all with careful concern for the environment and the community.

Building it green

The Interstate MAX Yellow Line project, completed in May 2004, was the first to use environmentally sensitive construction practices and made TriMet a national leader in building "green" light rail systems. These practices not only helped protect the environment, they saved $3 million in construction costs. We have used these same award-winning practices on all our subsequent rail projects. Learn more about our green construction practices

Keeping it green

Solar powered bus shelter lighting

Solar-powered lighting systems harness the sun's energy, providing greater visibility and safety at dark bus stops. They reduce both the initial costs and the ongoing expense of providing power to shelters and are environmentally friendly. We have installed more than 200 such systems at well-used sheltered stops where direct power connections are impractical.

Recycling at TriMet facilities

Our staff are always looking for opportunities to reduce, reuse and recycle at our facilities. This not only reduces the amount of waste we produce, it reduces the cost of both waste disposal and buying new materials.

In 2007, we created Sustainability Coordinators, a network of employee environmental advocates at each of our facilities. From mechanics to office staff, these coordinators serve as the key contacts at their facilities for sustainability and environmental efforts. This network has helped TriMet step up an already successful recycling program.

In addition to the bottles and cans, printer paper and cartridges, computers, monitors and other electronics generated from our offices, the efforts of the Sustainability Coordinators are also enabling TriMet to successfully recycle or reuse a wide range of materials from our maintenance facilities, including:

Motor oil—re-refined off-site for reuse
Oil filters—burned for energy recovery and the metal recycled into rebar
Antifreeze—recycled for reuse
Paint and other chemicals—inventoried materials recycled or disposed offsite
Paint thinner—recycled on-site for re-use in our body and paint shop
Non-hazardous parts cleaning solvent—re-refined with used oil
Bus and train washwater—reused and then treated to remove oil and grime
Shop towels—laundered off-site and re-used
Scrap metal—recycled into other metal products
Aerosol cans—punctured and recycled as scrap metal
Small device batteries—recharged on-site or recycled
Large bus and train batteries—sent back to the manufacturer and recycled
Light bulbs, tubes and ballasts—metals are separated from glass and both are recycled
Tires—recycled into other rubber products
Wooden pallets—refurbished and reused or recycled, depending on condition
Corrugated cardboard—recycled into new cardboard
Shrinkwrap and bubblewrap—reused on-site