Poop-filled bags still being collected along rural roads, according to officials
By KPTV Staff
Click here for updates on this story
MULTNOMAH COUNTY, Oregon (KPTV) — Bags containing human feces are still being collected along East County roads, according to Multnomah County.
Since late 2018, the county said a “perennial pooper” has been disposing of bags filled with human poop and kitty litter along rural roads near Troutdale, Springdale and Corbett.
The bags, which are often plastic shopping bags from Walmart and Dollar Tree, have been dumped at nearly 500 sites, usually during early morning hours. The county said the bags have been dumped primarily along the following stretches of road:
SE Sweetbriar Road, between SE Kerslake and Troutdale roads SE Kerslake Road, between SE Sweetbriar Road and SE Stark Street SE 282nd Avenue, between SE Sweetbriar and Strebin roads SE Curtis Drive, between the Historic Highway and Smith Road
Some of the bags have remained intact, but others have been ripped open and splattered by passing cars, with poop left to wash into the drainage ditch. The county said human feces can carry diseases, and when that poop washes into drainage ditches, it can contaminate waterways where people spend time.
Multnomah County Code Enforcement Officer Dave Thomson has been picking up hundreds of those bags. He’s asking whoever is dumping the bags to either stop or reach out for help.
“We want to understand why the person might be doing this,” Thomson said. “Perhaps this person doesn’t have a bathroom or another way of disposing of their waste. We’re not interested in punishment. We want to help them get the support they need.”
Anyone who spots someone in the act of illegal dumping, Thomson asks that you don’t try and stop the person. Instead, get a license plate number and vehicle description, and call 911.
Anyone who spots these bags or any other illegally disposed material in unincorporated Multnomah County, call Environmental Health at 503-988-3464 or email vector.nuisance@multco.us.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
