Portland, ME Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

Portland contracts with ecomaine (a regional non-profit MRF serving 70+ Maine municipalities) for single-stream recycling. Accepted in the curbside blue bin: clean paper and cardboard (flatten), plastic bottles, jugs, tubs and lids (#1, #2, #5), and metal cans (aluminum and steel). Glass bottles and jars must be set out in a separate glass-only bin to avoid contamination. Not accepted: plastic bags and film (bring to grocery-store film bins), Styrofoam, food/liquid contamination, tanglers (hoses, wires, chains), tissue/paper towels, and any item with food or hazardous residue. Items rejected at the curbside ('hard to recycle') include batteries, electronics, paint, propane tanks, and mercury devices — these must be diverted to Riverside Recycling, ecomaine hazardous-waste days (1st Saturday April-November), or specialty take-back retailers (Staples, Call2Recycle, Paintcare). Maine has no statewide mandatory recycling ordinance for households (Title 38 sets statewide diversion goals but leaves implementation to municipalities under 30-A § 3001 home rule); Portland enforces recycling through curbside contamination tagging rather than per-household mandates.