Holiday Pollution Solutions

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and many of us will be sharing meals with family and friends next week! When it's time to clean up, we'd be thankful if you could collect the grease and throw it in your trash or compost, instead of washing it down the sink. Fats, oils, and grease (FOG) clog pipes and can lead to serious maintenance issues in the wastewater system. If you need an easy way to collect and dispose of grease, you can request a free FOG kit on our website.

MWMC Wins Outreach Award from NACWA

The MWMC was honored with a National Environmental Achievement Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) for its pollution prevention digital advertising campaign. The campaign took place earlier this year, generating approximately 3 million impressions in Eugene, Springfield, and Lane County. It focused on encouraging people in the MWMC service area to put wipes and grease in the garbage, instead of down their drains. The MWMC will formally accept the award at NACWA's Winter Conference in January.

Wally the Waterdrop's New Adventures

Wally joined the MWMC family a little more than a year and now he’s getting out into the community even more. In addition to visiting fifth graders at Clean Water University, he’s telling everyone where he comes from and why he’s here in Lane County

Wally has existed as long as there has been water on Earth. He has a family, including his parents, Walter and Wendy, and his sister, Whitney. Wally has been a part of the natural and urban water cycles for as long as they have existed. He remembers what the Willamette River was like when industrial waste and sewage were discharged into it, and he's grateful for the efforts of everyone who has worked to restore it to a cleaner, healthier water system. He likes to teach young people about the importance of clean water and what they can do to keep their communities clean and healthy!

In 2025, the communications team is planning to give Wally a dedicated webpage to help share his story. You can be on the lookout for that on the MWMC's website, and we'll be sure to let you know when it's ready in a future newsletter!

MWMC Receives Award for Renewable Natural Gas Facility

The Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC) was honored by the Pacific Northwest International Section (PNWIS)  of the Air and Waste Management Association with the 2024 Environmental Achievement Award for its Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Facility. and its resource recovery programs. The award was presented at their annual conference early this month. PNWIS is an international environmental organization of air and waste professionals promoting environmental responsibility and leadership in the United States Pacific Northwest and Western Canada. Each year, PNWIS selects an organization that uses innovative techniques to reduce or prevent air pollution and waste.



In 2021, the MWMC became Oregon's first wastewater treatment plant to operate an RNG Facility. The RNG Facility cleans biogas, a byproduct of the water treatment process, and collects purified methane to be injected into Northwest Natural’s pipeline. Additionally, the MWMC’s resource recovery programs for recycled water and biosolids were recognized as significantly contributing to environmental protection in the region. The MWMC continues to accomplish its goals of creating sustainable, environmentally conscious solutions and being leaders in resource recovery.

MWMC Supports Greywater Action for World Toilet Day Event

World Toilet Day was November 19th, and each year the day is an opportunity to raise awareness and provide education on sanitation systems around world, including the many parts of the world that lack access to safe waste disposal systems. this year, Laura Allen of Greywater Action, gave a presentation on the history of composting toilets, and the audience heard presentations from several others on evolving waste management technologies. MWMC staff got to engage with the audience as well and answer questions about our local wastewater systems, including questions about what can and can't be flushed and how we recover resources from wastewater.