Portland regulates trash and recycling containers through Title 17 (Public Improvements) and Bureau of Planning and Sustainability rules. Residential garbage and recycling containers must be stored out of public view when not set out for collection. Collection days and container placement are managed by the city's franchised hauler system.
Portland uses a franchised hauling system for residential garbage collection with every-other-week garbage pickup and weekly recycling/composting. Containers must be placed at the curb by 6 AM on collection day and retrieved by midnight. Between collection days, containers should be stored behind the front building line or screened from public view. The standard residential roll cart is 35 gallons for garbage with options for 20 or 60 gallons. Overflowing containers are not permitted.
Containers left at the curb beyond collection day may result in notices from Neighborhood Inspections. Persistent violations can lead to fines under Portland's nuisance property code. Overflowing containers that create sanitation issues may trigger additional enforcement.
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See how Portland's trash bin storage rules stack up against other locations.
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