Portland offers seasonal curbside yard-waste collection in spring and fall on published dates. Year-round, residents may drop off leaves, grass clippings, brush, and garden waste free at Riverside Recycling (910 Riverside St). The City also operates a free community food-scrap composting program with multiple drop-off locations.
Portland Public Works runs curbside yard-waste collection on published spring and fall dates announced annually (see the Yard Waste page on portlandmaine.gov for the current schedule). Yard waste set out for curbside must be in paper compostable bags or open rigid containers — plastic bags are not accepted. Outside the curbside windows, residents may take yard waste year-round (leaves, grass clippings, garden trimmings, brush) to the Riverside Recycling Facility at 910 Riverside Street, Portland, open Monday-Saturday 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Stumps over 4.5 feet long or 8 inches in diameter are not accepted as brush. In addition to yard waste, Portland operates a free Community Composting Program for residential food scraps with always-open drop-off locations across the city. Garbage to Garden offers private curbside food-scrap pickup as an optional paid service. Maine has no statewide ban on landfilling yard waste (38 M.R.S. Ch. 13 sets diversion goals, not a mandate); Portland's yard-waste program is voluntary under home rule.
Yard waste mixed into trash bags adds to PAYT costs; large volumes of yard waste set out without seasonal pickup may be tagged. Yard-waste dumping in storm drains, waterways, or on public/private land without consent triggers state littering penalties (17 M.R.S. § 2264-A: $100-$500+) and shoreland-zoning violations along Casco Bay, Back Cove, Fore River and the Presumpscot (38 M.R.S. § 435 et seq.).
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Portland, ME
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