Portland residents now sort recyclables under Oregon's updated statewide rules, and garbage bills are set by cart size. Here's what changed, what to put in each bin, and how to get your exact collection day.
Portland's monthly waste bill is set by the size of your garbage cart, and your hauler (assigned by address) is the one to call to upsize, downsize, or change service. Curbside recycling now follows Oregon's updated standards: greasy pizza boxes and plastic caps back on plastic bottles are accepted, while shredded paper and any non-empty aerosol cans go in the garbage.
Portland splits residential waste service across three streams — garbage, recycling, and composting — and your monthly bill is driven by the size of your garbage cart, not by what you put out. Portland's rules changed in 2026 to match Oregon's Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act, so several items that used to be questionable (greasy pizza boxes, caps left on plastic bottles) are now welcome in the recycling bin, and a few items that used to be fine (shredded paper, half-full aerosol cans) are now garbage-only.
Single-family homes in Portland are served by one of several franchised haulers, and the hauler you have is determined by your address. The published rate sheet changes periodically, so the most accurate number for your home is the one your hauler quotes when you call. What you control is the cart size, which is the biggest driver of your bill.
The four changes Portlanders are most likely to notice are all about items that used to cause confusion at the sorting facility. The new rules reflect what Oregon's updated standards actually allow material recovery facilities to accept.
Empty the box fully — peel off paper liners, pull out any plastic pieces, and scrape out crusts. Food stuck to the cardboard belongs in compost (or trash if you don't compost).
Empty the container, give it a quick rinse, shake it dry, then screw the plastic cap back on before it goes in the bin.
Even bagged shredded paper is no longer accepted curbside. Sorting machines shred bags and the confetti scatters into dust and debris. Use a drop-off recycling site if you want it recycled.
Spray until nothing comes out, then shake to confirm. Partial cans can explode when crushed in the truck or at the sorting facility, so anything still under pressure goes to hazardous waste or, as a last resort, the trash.
Batteries, pesticides, paint, TVs, computers, and CFL bulbs don't go in the garbage, recycling, or compost cart. For those, Metro runs a free ask-an-expert line and a household hazardous waste network.
Portland publishes a printable, address-specific calendar and a free reminder service, and the city mails a physical Portland Curbsider newsletter to single-family homes every June.
In mid-June, single-family homes receive either a purple or an orange Portland Curbsider with a 12-month schedule. The color is determined by your address and tells you which week of the rotation you're on.
Go to the city's Garbage Day Reminder page, enter your address, scroll to "Get a calendar," and click "Print a calendar." It pulls your exact collection days for the year.
On the same page, scroll to "Get a reminder" and choose email, app notification, text, or an automated phone call. The reminder tells you which bins to set out so you don't have to remember the rotation.
Federal household-goods shipping protections — like the FMCSA's Your Rights and Responsibilities booklet and the binding estimates that interstate movers are required to provide — only apply when a mover crosses state lines with your belongings. An in-state Portland move, even one handled by a large national van line, is governed by Oregon intrastate rules instead, and waste service is handled entirely at the city level by your franchised hauler. That's why no federal form will tell you your garbage rate or collection day — Portland sets those, and Metro handles the items that don't belong in any bin.
SUMMARY
Your monthly garbage bill in Portland is set by the cart size you choose through your address-assigned hauler. Curbside recycling just got a refresh: greasy pizza boxes and caps screwed onto plastic bottles are in, shredded paper and non-empty aerosol cans are out. Print an address-specific calendar from the city's Garbage Day Reminder page or wait for the Curbsider in the mail, and call Metro at 503-234-3000 for anything that doesn't fit in any bin.
Common questions
Look up the hauler assigned to your address through the city's hauler lookup tool, then call them. The rate depends on which cart size you've selected, and haulers handle billing directly.
Yes, as long as it's empty. Pull off paper liners, remove any plastic pieces, and scrape out crusts. Food still stuck to the cardboard goes in compost or trash.
In the garbage, even if it's bagged. Curbside sorting shreds the bags and the paper fragments mix with dust and debris, so it ends up as trash anyway. A Metro drop-off site is the recycling option.
It can explode when crushed in the truck or at the sorting facility. Use the product up, take it to a household hazardous waste facility, or put it in the trash as a last resort.
Either wait for the Portland Curbsider newsletter mailed in mid-June or generate one online through the city's Garbage Day Reminder page by entering your address.
No. Federal protections like the FMCSA Your Rights and Responsibilities booklet apply to interstate moves, not to city waste service. An in-state Portland move falls under Oregon intrastate rules, and garbage rates and recycling rules are set by the city and your franchised hauler.