Portland Trash Pickup Schedule, Recycling & Compost 2026

🚚 Portland’s Six Franchised Residential Haulers

• WM (Waste Management) — (800) 808-5901 — Serves large portions of Northwest, Southwest, and parts of Southeast Portland
• Portland Disposal & Recycling — (503) 281-8736 — Serves portions of Northeast and North Portland
• Arrow Sanitary Service — (503) 257-1331 — Serves portions of East and Southeast Portland
• Heiberg Garbage & Recycling — (503) 794-8212 — Serves portions of Southeast Portland
• Walker Garbage Service — (503) 531-6330 — Serves portions of North and Northeast Portland
• City Sanitary Service — (503) 760-2412 — Serves portions of Southeast and outer East Portland

To find which hauler serves your specific address, use the City’s official lookup: portland.gov — Who Picks Up My Garbage?

💵 Portland Garbage Rates 2026

• Rates are set by the City of Portland annually, effective July 1. All haulers charge the same City-approved rates for the same cart sizes.
• Cart size options for garbage: 20-gallon (smallest), 32-gallon, 60-gallon, or 90-gallon. The base rate is determined by your garbage cart size.
• Recycling (blue cart), compost (green cart), and glass (yellow bin) are all included in the base garbage rate at no additional charge.
• Rates are adjusted for low-income households through the Garbage and Recycling Discount Program. Contact BPS at 503-823-7202 for eligibility details.
• For current exact rates, visit portland.gov — Garbage Service Basics.

⏰ Official Set-Out Requirements

• All bins at the curb by 6:00 a.m. on your collection day. Setting out the night before is acceptable and recommended.
• Place carts with handles facing the street.
• Leave at least 3 feet between each cart and at least 3 feet from parked cars, mailboxes, poles, trees, and other obstacles.
• Do not place bins under overhanging branches or power lines.
• Lids must be fully closed. An overfilled cart with a propped-open lid may be skipped.
• Extra garbage (up to 32-gallon bags or cans): may be set beside the garbage cart for a small extra-bag fee charged by your hauler (approximately $5 per bag/can). Contact your hauler for exact fee.
• Extra recycling (cardboard): flatten, bundle with tape, and lean against the blue cart. No additional charge for extra bundled cardboard.
• Extra compost/yard waste: use paper yard waste bags or bundled branches (see compost section). No additional charge.

🪟 Yellow Glass Bin — Glass Only

• Accepted: glass bottles and jars of any color. Labels are fine.
• Rinse thoroughly and remove metal lids (lids go in the blue cart).
• Not accepted: drinking glasses, ceramics, vases, Pyrex, light bulbs, mirrors, or window glass — these are not recyclable curbside.
• Battery drop-off for houses: small household batteries (AAA, AA, C, D, 9V, button-cell, coin) can be placed in a clear 1-quart zip-sealed plastic bag on top of the glass in the yellow bin. Tape both ends of any battery not labeled “Alkaline.” Do NOT do this at apartments or businesses — take batteries to a drop-off site.
• Motor oil: used motor oil in a clear plastic jug with a screw-on lid may be placed next to the yellow glass bin for free collection.

🎄 Christmas Tree Collection 2026

Curbside Christmas tree collection runs for several weeks starting after Christmas. Set your tree next to the green compost cart. You have two options: (1) Whole tree (6 ft or shorter): a small fee applies (approximately $5.45 — confirm with your hauler). (2) Cut into pieces 3 ft or shorter: place in your green compost cart, no extra charge. Remove all decorations, lights, ornaments, tinsel, and the tree stand first. Artificial trees and flocked (fake-snow) trees go in garbage, not compost. Call 503-234-3000 or check with Metro for drop-off locations near apartments.

🌿 Free Compost Giveaway Days 2026

Portland’s Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) composts over 5,000 tons of leaves collected annually through the Leaf Day program. In spring 2026, the City is hosting Free Compost Days on April 18–19, 2026, 7:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Residents can pick up free finished compost. Bring containers. Check portland.gov — Free Compost Days 2026 for the exact location and any updates.

📌 Options for Large Item Disposal in Portland

• Extra bags/cans beside the garbage cart: On your biweekly garbage day, you may set out extra garbage bags or rigid garbage cans (up to 32-gallon each) beside your cart for a small fee per item (approximately $5 each). Contact your hauler for the current extra-bag fee.
• Schedule a large item pickup with your hauler: Contact your hauler (see hauler list above) to schedule a pickup of large furniture, appliances, or other bulky items. Fees apply. Call at least one week in advance. Do not set items curbside until the scheduled day.
• Self-haul to Metro transfer stations: Portland residents can take large items directly to Metro Central Transfer Station (6161 NW 61st Ave, Portland) or Metro South Transfer Station (2001 Washington St, Oregon City). Disposal fees apply based on weight/volume. Metro Central is open daily 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
• Mattress recycling: Metro Central accepts up to 4 mattresses/box springs per customer per day for recycling. Customers receive a $2.30 credit per mattress when part of a mixed load. Foldout sofa beds, futons, crib mattresses, waterbeds, and air mattresses are charged as garbage. See ByeByeMattress.com for other Portland-area mattress recycling locations.
• Resourceful PDX: Before spending money on disposal, check portland.gov/resourcefulpdx for Portland’s network of repair shops, tool libraries, reuse stores, Buy Nothing groups, and donation options that may give your items a second life at no cost.

⚡ Metro Central Transfer Station & HHW

Address: 6161 NW 61st Ave., Portland, OR 97210  •  Phone: 503-234-3000

Transfer Station: Daily 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Household Hazardous Waste (HHW): Daily 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

• HHW is free for households (up to 35 gallons by container size). Businesses must apply and pay a fee.
• No appointment needed for residential HHW drop-off.
• Oregon E-Cycles electronics accepted free: computers, monitors, TVs, printers, tablets, keyboards, mice. Limit 7 items per day.
• Tires: up to 4 per customer per day accepted free.
• Motor oil: must be in gallon or smaller unbreakable containers with screw-on lids. Limit 20 gallons per customer per day.

⚡ Metro South Transfer Station & HHW

Address: 2001 Washington St., Oregon City, OR 97045  •  Phone: 503-234-3000

Transfer Station: Daily 7:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.

Household Hazardous Waste (HHW): Daily 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Same HHW acceptance rules as Metro Central.

📷 What Metro HHW Facilities Accept

• Paints and solvents: oil-based paints, latex paints, varnishes, stains, paint thinners, mineral spirits
• Pesticides, herbicides, and pool/spa chemicals
• Automotive fluids: motor oil, antifreeze, gasoline, brake fluid, batteries
• Batteries (all types — car, lithium, rechargeable, household)
• Fluorescent bulbs, CFLs, and mercury-containing devices
• Propane tanks and compressed gas cylinders
• Medical sharps (in FDA-cleared red sharps containers if possible)
• Electronics via Oregon E-Cycles (computers, TVs, monitors, etc.)

📌 Oregon E-Cycles — Free Statewide Electronics Recycling

Oregon’s E-Cycles program provides free electronics recycling at hundreds of locations statewide, including retail stores, libraries, and Metro transfer stations. Accepted items include desktop and laptop computers, monitors, printers, TVs, tablets, keyboards, and computer mice. No limit at Metro transfer stations. For additional drop-off locations near you, visit oregonecycles.org or call 503-234-3000.

🏠 New to Portland or Just Moved In?

First: go to portland.gov/find-my-hauler to find your assigned hauler and collection day. Then sign up for free weekly bin reminders at portland.gov/garbage-day-reminders (email, text, app, or phone) — the reminder tells you which bins to set out each week so you never have to remember whether it’s a garbage week. Remember: you have four bins — gray garbage (biweekly), blue recycling (weekly), green compost (weekly), and yellow glass (weekly). Rates are set by the City and are the same regardless of hauler.

🚫 5 Mistakes Portland Residents Make

• Putting glass in the blue recycling cart — glass always goes in the separate yellow bin to prevent contaminating paper
• Thinking garbage is collected every week — Portland’s garbage is biweekly; recycling and compost are weekly
• Not using the green compost cart for food scraps — with biweekly garbage collection, food in the black cart sits for up to 14 days
• Placing bins less than 3 feet apart or under overhanging branches — the most common reason for missed collection
• Assuming Thanksgiving or Labor Day cause collection delays — Portland only delays for Christmas and New Year’s Day

🌿 Leaf Day Program — Portland’s Annual Fall Leaf Collection

Each fall, Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) crews sweep leaves from city streets during the Leaf Day program, composting over 5,000 tons of leaves annually. Residents are asked to rake leaves to the curb (not into the street) during designated neighborhood leaf collection dates. This is separate from regular curbside compost service. The collected leaves become the compost given away free at the spring compost giveaway events. Check portland.gov/transportation in the fall for the 2026 leaf collection schedule for your neighborhood.