Portland residents have access to curbside recycling, but many other items that are not recyclable curbside can be diverted from the landfill through the following organizations.
"When in doubt, throw it out", but also do a little research of your own or call the amazing experts at the Metro hotline.
This list is always evolving, feel free to add resources in the comments and I'll make sure to update it on a regular basis, thank you so much for your contributions!
And you can always head over to the Portland Zero Waste Guide, Zero Waste PDX and the Zero Waste PDX Facebook group for reference.
Find a Recycler
Use Metro's Find-a-recycler tool to locate drop-off sites near you.
Recycling Programs & Collection events
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James' Neighborhood recycling - Curbside collection with subscription ($15/month) or drop-off events ($3/grocery bag of sorted recycling (or similar 5 gallon container) and $3/39 gallon garbage bag of Styrofoam)
Items collected: Plastics, Electronics, Small appliances, Wine corks, Cereal bag liners, Empty toothpaste tubes, floss containers and toothbrushes, Ink jet and toner cartridges, Empty deodorant containers (non-aerosol), Empty lipstick and chapstick containers, Empty cosmetic compacts, mascara tubes, eyeliner and brow pencils and many more items -
Terracycle - Public drop-offs for various products (Tom's of Maine, L'Occitane en Provence , etc.)
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Ridwell - Hard-to-recycle items collection
Bottles and cans
- Bottle Drop - Bottles and cans (get money back)
Car Seats
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Target hosts trade-in program events a couple times a year.
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Terracycle has a baby gear recycling box. Keep an eye for maybe another partnership with Wallmart for a trade-in event in the future (this link dates back to 2019).
Clothing
- H&M - Textiles (free)
- Madewell - Denim (free)
- Nike Factory Store - Athletic shoes (free)
- Gaia boxes - Gaia receives clothes and shoes donations. Put items inside the box in a closed bag.
- Ecoworld boxes (formerly Gemtext) - Gently used clothing and shoes
- SCRAP - Check their website for items they are or are not currently accepting.
Paint
- MetroPaint - Recycle up to 35 gallons of paint for free at Metro Central or Metro South. Or, use Metro's Find-a-recycler tool to locate drop-off sites near you.
Styrofoam
- Agilyx - Plastic #6s: plastic trays, clamshells, styrofoam (free)
Local resources
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New Seasons - plastic film, cork, aluminum cans and Paktech plastic handles
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Target - Glass Bottles, Plastic Bottles, Aluminium Cans, MP3s, Cellphones, Ink Cartridges, Plastic Bags (free)
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Ikea - Metal, Glass, CFL Bulbs, LED Bulbs, , Incandescent & Halogen Bulbs, 9V Batteries, AAA, AA, C, D Batteries (free) also mattresses and furniture
Know of more recycling resources in Portland? Please share them in the comments below!