Comments on: Questions for Multnomah County Q & A? http://www.foodcartsportland.com/2010/03/28/questions-for-multnomah-county-q-a/ A Guide to Food Carts in Portland Oregon Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:26:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Cuisine Bonne Femme http://www.foodcartsportland.com/2010/03/28/questions-for-multnomah-county-q-a/comment-page-1/#comment-4941 Cuisine Bonne Femme Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:05:26 +0000 http://www.foodcartsportland.com/?p=2697#comment-4941 I'm closing comments to this thread now. I gave a whole bunch of questions to Multnomah County and they will be answering them in a week or so. Thanks for all the great questions! I’m closing comments to this thread now. I gave a whole bunch of questions to Multnomah County and they will be answering them in a week or so. Thanks for all the great questions!

]]> By: Shrinkwrap http://www.foodcartsportland.com/2010/03/28/questions-for-multnomah-county-q-a/comment-page-1/#comment-4846 Shrinkwrap Sat, 03 Apr 2010 20:57:41 +0000 http://www.foodcartsportland.com/?p=2697#comment-4846 Great topic for this blog for sure! I'd like to see Multnomah County take the lead in trying to encourage the State of Oregon to standardize food cart permitting and regulation. Sure, allow the counties to pick up their slice of the pie, and maybe there are some special considerations that need to be addressed in one county or another which are not needed in others. As far as the container/trash issue, what is the state of the art in eco friendly containers? Does the permitting authority know? Also, I agree with above posters who find that over regulating would be a fly in the ointment. The food cart culture is the buzz at the moment-let's keep it there. Great topic for this blog for sure! I’d like to see Multnomah County take the lead in trying to encourage the State of Oregon to standardize food cart permitting and regulation. Sure, allow the counties to pick up their slice of the pie, and maybe there are some special considerations that need to be addressed in one county or another which are not needed in others.

As far as the container/trash issue, what is the state of the art in eco friendly containers? Does the permitting authority know?

Also, I agree with above posters who find that over regulating would be a fly in the ointment. The food cart culture is the buzz at the moment-let’s keep it there.

]]> By: Nik Edgerton http://www.foodcartsportland.com/2010/03/28/questions-for-multnomah-county-q-a/comment-page-1/#comment-4676 Nik Edgerton Tue, 30 Mar 2010 19:07:44 +0000 http://www.foodcartsportland.com/?p=2697#comment-4676 In regards to the many posts here about sustainability, resource information for vendors would be a great topic to see on this site. For example, my hat goes off to Violetta's. All of their packaging is biodegradable and if I am not mistaken, it is compostable. This seems the soundest solution, since bringing one's own container raises concerns of cross contamination and is therefore a health code violation. I can certainly see how the container waste of so many carts has got to be a major consideration for the county. Incentives for vendors using alternative and sustainable practices such as this would be an interesting idea. A large part of this issue is that it can be so much more expensive for the vendor. In regards to the many posts here about sustainability, resource information for vendors would be a great topic to see on this site. For example, my hat goes off to Violetta’s. All of their packaging is biodegradable and if I am not mistaken, it is compostable. This seems the soundest solution, since bringing one’s own container raises concerns of cross contamination and is therefore a health code violation. I can certainly see how the container waste of so many carts has got to be a major consideration for the county. Incentives for vendors using alternative and sustainable practices such as this would be an interesting idea. A large part of this issue is that it can be so much more expensive for the vendor.

]]> By: Dana B http://www.foodcartsportland.com/2010/03/28/questions-for-multnomah-county-q-a/comment-page-1/#comment-4675 Dana B Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:12:48 +0000 http://www.foodcartsportland.com/?p=2697#comment-4675 Is there any way we can bring our own containers? I use my own bamboo silverware but don’t eat at the food carts as much as I would if I could bring my own reusable container. I try to frequent the carts that use biodegradable containers more than the ones who don’t. Is there any way we can bring our own containers? I use my own bamboo silverware but don’t eat at the food carts as much as I would if I could bring my own reusable container. I try to frequent the carts that use biodegradable containers more than the ones who don’t.

]]> By: Mr. Bojangles http://www.foodcartsportland.com/2010/03/28/questions-for-multnomah-county-q-a/comment-page-1/#comment-4661 Mr. Bojangles Tue, 30 Mar 2010 06:27:26 +0000 http://www.foodcartsportland.com/?p=2697#comment-4661 Brooke, I guess it's obvious that the water comes from somewhere but I never thought about the scale and complications. Who/where do you as a proprietor get the water from? Are there any related regulations? Further, with whom do you dump it? How does that work? Can people separate categories of dirty water for different disposal methods? For instance, can you dispose of graywater via watering a greenroof or planters attached to your cart? How much does all of this cost anyway? Brooke, I guess it’s obvious that the water comes from somewhere but I never thought about the scale and complications. Who/where do you as a proprietor get the water from? Are there any related regulations? Further, with whom do you dump it? How does that work? Can people separate categories of dirty water for different disposal methods? For instance, can you dispose of graywater via watering a greenroof or planters attached to your cart? How much does all of this cost anyway?

]]> By: Brooke Howes http://www.foodcartsportland.com/2010/03/28/questions-for-multnomah-county-q-a/comment-page-1/#comment-4651 Brooke Howes Tue, 30 Mar 2010 03:26:37 +0000 http://www.foodcartsportland.com/?p=2697#comment-4651 I own a food cart in downtown Portland. We pay more money out every month for fresh water to be deliverd and waste water to be properly removed than we do on rent. We provide our own garbage cans for the consumers and honestly I pick up more coffee cups from stumptown and starbucks than our own containers. People all over Portland stop at fastfood joints every day and i don't hear you guys complaining about McDonalds crap in every parking lot and gutter in town. Find someone else to focus your eco-bashing on. McDonalds has served Billions and billions, I've served a few hundred. I own a food cart in downtown Portland. We pay more money out every month for fresh water to be deliverd and waste water to be properly removed than we do on rent. We provide our own garbage cans for the consumers and honestly I pick up more coffee cups from stumptown and starbucks than our own containers. People all over Portland stop at fastfood joints every day and i don’t hear you guys complaining about McDonalds crap in every parking lot and gutter in town. Find someone else to focus your eco-bashing on. McDonalds has served Billions and billions, I’ve served a few hundred.

]]> By: Bertha http://www.foodcartsportland.com/2010/03/28/questions-for-multnomah-county-q-a/comment-page-1/#comment-4637 Bertha Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:04:01 +0000 http://www.foodcartsportland.com/?p=2697#comment-4637 I support the question of how can Mult. Co. help the carts compost. The carts are somewhat business incubators, a place to start out on a low budget, and it is really important to have that in any economy, but especially in this one. I support the question of how can Mult. Co. help the carts compost. The carts are somewhat business incubators, a place to start out on a low budget, and it is really important to have that in any economy, but especially in this one.

]]> By: EHJ http://www.foodcartsportland.com/2010/03/28/questions-for-multnomah-county-q-a/comment-page-1/#comment-4622 EHJ Mon, 29 Mar 2010 07:45:12 +0000 http://www.foodcartsportland.com/?p=2697#comment-4622 A lot of carts (that I am aware) are very keen on the idea of bio-friendly containers and use them. Having mandatory re-usable dishware would be impractical. By virtue of a carts design and operation, they use a minimal amount of water - and for every gallon that gets used - a gallon now needs to be discharged and disposed of. You can bet that every cart owner in town is intimately familiar with every drop of water they consume. It's a huge part of the operation - and for some, it can get costly. I love my home and am proud of the accomplishment that has had Portland and Oregon lead the way with concepts that help protect our environment. I was a kid when we adopted the very first bottle bill. The rest of the country soon followed. I cheered when we were able to enlighten others of the dangers of poly styrene containers and were able to effect a ban on their use here locally. ...And I agree that there needs to be a solution to what some see as a waste issue. But it is important that the cart owners themselves are not made to carry the burden for a customers trash. That responsibility should weigh heavily towards the consumer. I mean, when I buy something from a drive through, or even a delivery pizza in a box - I take on the responsibility for my own trash. When I dispose of a coffee cup from Starbucks (Spella) into a city street trash bin on the sidewalk, who's responsible for that? A lot of carts (that I am aware) are very keen on the idea of bio-friendly containers and use them. Having mandatory re-usable dishware would be impractical. By virtue of a carts design and operation, they use a minimal amount of water – and for every gallon that gets used – a gallon now needs to be discharged and disposed of. You can bet that every cart owner in town is intimately familiar with every drop of water they consume. It’s a huge part of the operation – and for some, it can get costly.

I love my home and am proud of the accomplishment that has had Portland and Oregon lead the way with concepts that help protect our environment. I was a kid when we adopted the very first bottle bill. The rest of the country soon followed. I cheered when we were able to enlighten others of the dangers of poly styrene containers and were able to effect a ban on their use here locally.

…And I agree that there needs to be a solution to what some see as a waste issue. But it is important that the cart owners themselves are not made to carry the burden for a customers trash. That responsibility should weigh heavily towards the consumer. I mean, when I buy something from a drive through, or even a delivery pizza in a box – I take on the responsibility for my own trash. When I dispose of a coffee cup from Starbucks (Spella) into a city street trash bin on the sidewalk, who’s responsible for that?

]]> By: Meghann http://www.foodcartsportland.com/2010/03/28/questions-for-multnomah-county-q-a/comment-page-1/#comment-4615 Meghann Mon, 29 Mar 2010 03:15:58 +0000 http://www.foodcartsportland.com/?p=2697#comment-4615 Regarding to-go containers, here's pretty awesome system. Of course, it would take a lot of cooperation between cart owners- maybe something individual pods could pursue together. eco-clamshells at Eckerd College: http://www.eckerd.edu/green/waste/ecoclamshell.php eco-takeouts from G.E.T. Enterprises, Inc.: http://67.99.204.233/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=EC Regarding to-go containers, here’s pretty awesome system. Of course, it would take a lot of cooperation between cart owners- maybe something individual pods could pursue together.

eco-clamshells at Eckerd College:
http://www.eckerd.edu/green/waste/ecoclamshell.php

eco-takeouts from G.E.T. Enterprises, Inc.:
http://67.99.204.233/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=EC

]]> By: JustinS http://www.foodcartsportland.com/2010/03/28/questions-for-multnomah-county-q-a/comment-page-1/#comment-4613 JustinS Mon, 29 Mar 2010 02:33:17 +0000 http://www.foodcartsportland.com/?p=2697#comment-4613 Would be curious to know about any known plans for new pods in the future, what the most likely locations of such pods might be. Would be curious to know about any known plans for new pods in the future, what the most likely locations of such pods might be.

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