Since October 2011, Portland has required every single-family and small multi-family household (4 units and under) to subscribe to weekly curbside composting service through Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS). The standard three-cart system — gray garbage (every other week), blue recycling (weekly), green compost (weekly) — is mandatory under PCC 17.102, and food scraps must be placed in the green compost cart.
Portland's residential composting and recycling mandate, codified at PCC 17.102 and rolled out citywide in October 2011, made Portland the first major U.S. city to switch single-family garbage pickup to every-other-week service while composting was collected weekly. The standard service for households of 4 units or fewer includes: (1) a green roll cart for food scraps + yard debris, picked up weekly; (2) a blue roll cart for mixed recyclables (paper, cardboard, metal, plastic bottles/jugs/tubs labeled #1, #2, #5), picked up weekly; (3) a gray roll cart for garbage, picked up every other week; (4) a yellow bin for glass, picked up every other week. Food scraps that go in the green cart include meat, dairy, bones, food-soiled paper, pizza boxes, and yard debris — but not plastic bags, compostable plastics, or pet waste. Rates are set by BPS and vary by garbage-cart size (standard 32-gallon is currently about $40/month including all four streams). Multi-family buildings of 5+ units must provide on-site recycling under PCC 17.102.270, with weekly compost collection required since 2024. Businesses with 4+ cubic yards/week of garbage must recycle paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, and metal under PCC 17.102.290, and any business that handles food (restaurants, grocery, institutional kitchens) must separate food scraps for composting under the Multnomah County Business Food Scraps Requirement effective March 2020. Curbside contamination (wrong items in wrong cart) may result in a tag, a fee, or service refusal.
Failure to subscribe to mandatory service: PCC 17.102 administrative penalty up to $500. Contamination (wrong items): hauler-issued tag plus contamination fee, typically $25-$100, or service refusal. Multi-family or business non-compliance: BPS may impose escalating civil penalties under PCC 17.102.
Portland, OR
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Portland, OR
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See how Portland's recycling requirements rules stack up against other locations.
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