News Release: Celebrate Earth Day with PBOT's Free Compost Days April 18-19

Large crowds expected - plan ahead and follow signs for traffic safety

PBOT's certified compost comes from Leaf Day leaves and leaf collection citywide

Portlanders fill bags and recycle bins to load their passenger vehicles at PBOT Free Compost Days in 2025. Photo by PBOT.

(April 15, 2026) 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 18 and 19, 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 19 or when we run out of compost.

Portlanders love this event! Hundreds of people have lined up for PBOT's Free Compost Days events in recent years.

PBOT is implementing a plan to route traffic into and through the yard -- creating an orderly process for customers arriving and loading their vehicles. Plan ahead by consulting our map and directions before you go. Follow directions from traffic signage in the area.

Crews will monitor traffic and impacts on streets in the area.

Bottom line: If you're coming for free compost, pack your patience!

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. Map by PBOT.

Directions to PBOT's Free Compost Days at Sunderland Yard:

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.

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 Composting 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.

PBOT crews load a customer's pickup truck at Free Compost Days in 2025. Photo by PBOT.

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The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is a community partner in shaping a livable city. We plan, build, manage and maintain an effective and safe transportation system that provides people and businesses access and mobility.