Garbage and Recycling

Residential garbage and recycling collection customers living in urban unincorporated Clackamas County and within the cities of Canby, Gladstone, Happy Valley, Oregon City, West Linn, and Wilsonville now have the option to recycle even more with Recycle+, a new service from your garbage and recycling company.

Recycle+ offers:  

• Collection of materials not included in standard recycling.  
• Convenient on-call pickups. 
• No subscription required; cancel any time. 

Tip: Consider coordinating pickups with family, friends or neighbors.    

How the program works

You must contact your garbage and recycling company to establish this optional service. Sign up now!

Recycle+ is an on-call, every other week collection service. You must contact your garbage and recycling company to schedule a pickup at least two business days before the scheduled collection day.  

Your garbage and recycling company will determine your Recycle+ collection day, which may be on a different day from your standard garbage and recycling collection. 

Accepted Materials

Printable Recycle+ Guide: English | Español (Spanish)

Plastic film

Plastic film/bags (also known as plastic film packaging):  A soft, flexible, stretchy polyethylene (#2HDPE, #4LDPE) packaging. Bags must be free of food residue.

Film must be contained in the sealed bag provided by your collector.

• Produce bags
• Plastic bags  
• Dry cleaning bags  
• Plastic padded envelopes (no padded manila envelopes)
• Plastic overwrap for paper towels, paper plates, napkins, etc.

Clear plastic #1 clamshell containers

Clamshells must be contained in the sealed bag provided by your collector.

One-piece containers hinged on one side and stamped with #1PET or PETE. Containers must be clear and clean of food residue. No black or other color plastic containers. 

• Fruit containers  
• Egg cartons
• Bakery containers
• Take-out containers 

 

Textiles

Textiles must be clean, however they can be torn, worn or stained.

Textiles must be contained in the sealed bag provided by your collector.

• Clothing
• Bed linens
• Towels/rags  

Tip: Materials are downcycled into wiping cloths and rags. Consider donating usable textiles to reuse organizations.     

Compact fluorescent light bulbs

Bulbs must be contained in a 1-gallon sealed bag to protect workers from mercury exposure should bulbs get broken during handling. This bag is not provided by your collector. 

• Include: Curved or folded fluorescent lamps that fit a regular household lamp.
• Do not include: Long fluorescent tubes used in garages, basements or commercial lighting.

No wishcycling

If you place an item in the purple bin not included in the acceptable list above, it will be left behind in the purple bin on your pickup day. These items may belong in the trash.

Also, do not place any of the acceptable Recycle + items in your weekly recycling cart! These items are must be collected separately because the material recovery facilities are not designed for these additional materials. 

What is wishcycling? While we may have an intention to recycle more, the result of “wishful recycling” makes recycling programs cost more and makes materials sent to recycling companies worth less. Materials placed in the wrong bin is called contamination. Recycling companies want the purest material possible to send to manufacturers to make new products. Contamination causes issues in their processes. It’s important to recycle only what is on the list so our collective effort is successful.

Need a curbside recycling refresher? Review our recycle guide to make sure you are only recycling items in your weekly collection that manufacturers will actually use.

Prepare Materials

You will receive a purple bin and plastic bags from your garbage and recycling company. Separate all materials by type, put the materials in the plastic bags provided and place the bags in the purple bin. Make sure the container lid can close completely to keep materials dry. 

Why plastic bags? Each category of items needs to be kept separate and dry during collection. The plastic bags will be recycled once materials arrive at their final destination. 

Tip: To ensure materials are collected, make sure items are clean, sorted and bagged. Wet materials cannot be recycled. 

Program Cost

Recycle+ costs a small base fee and a pickup fee for each requested pickup. You can set out your Recycle+ curbside or at another location on your property, such as your doorstep or porch (additional fees apply).

Curbside is defined as within five feet of a public or private road. Place your bin out by 6 a.m. on your collection day.

For curbside collection, place your bin near the road so it is clear of sidewalks, driveways, public streets or other rights of way.

For doorstep collection, place your bin visibly near your doorstep or porch.

If you qualify as a person with a disability as identified by Oregon state law and do not share a household with an individual capable of placing your container curbside, you can request non-curbside pickup at no extra charge. Contact your garbage and recycling company for more information.

How to sign up for Recycle+

Have your account information, name, address and a telephone number ready, then contact your garbage and recycling company to schedule a pickup. You’ll receive an 18-gallon purple bin with a lid and bags prior to your first collection day.  

At this time, service is only available in urban unincorporated Clackamas County and within the cities of Canby, Gladstone, Happy Valley, Oregon City, West Linn, and Wilsonville.

Questions or concerns?

Contact your garbage and recycling company for questions, to request service, or for issues related to collection.  

We offer free presentations and workshops for Clackamas County community groups, ranging from neighborhood associations to garden clubs.

Explore our topics below, as well as past recorded presentations and resources you are free to use on your own.

Schedule a Presentation or Workshop

Schedule a presentation or workshop with a Master Recycler or a Clackamas County Sustainability Analyst by emailing wasteinfo@clackamas.us or calling 503-557-6363.

We offer both virtual and in-person presentations and workshops.

Available Community Presentations and Workshops

Recycling and/or Curbside Composting

Wish you could ask someone what’s recyclable? A Master Recycler or Clackamas County Sustainability Analyst can talk with your group about Oregon’s recycling system, what can and cannot be recycled and why. We’ve also modified this presentation for holiday-related items, as well as for communities within Clackamas County that have curbside composting.

• Recycle Guide 
• The Recycling Process (YouTube Video)

Cleaning with Green Cleaners

We offer a Green Cleaners presentation for groups within Clackamas County interested in how to make less toxic, more economical, cleaning products for their home.

The workshop builds upon the presentation by giving participants the opportunity to make, and take home, the beginnings of your own green cleaner kit. This includes an all-purpose cleaner, window cleaner, soft scrub, bucket, cleaning cloth and a green cleaner recipe booklet.

• Green Cleaner Recipe Booklet

Save the Food

Learn tips and tricks to keep your food from spoiling and save money in the process. Schedule a presentation with a Master Recycler or Clackamas County Sustainability Analyst to learn about the impacts of wasted food, as well as tools to keep your food fresher, longer.

• Eat Smart, Waste Less
• Don’t Let Good Food Go Bad 
• Save the Food 

Sustainability

Is your community group interested in learning about how to live for a more sustainable future? Clackamas County Sustainability Analysts can work with you to customize a talk for your group that meets your needs.

• Sustainable living resources

¡Bienvenido/a a nuestra página de web! Somos el programa de Sostenibilidad, Basura y Reciclaje del Condado de Clackamas (Clackamas County Sustainability & Solid Waste).

Nuestro equipo trabaja con la comunidad – negocios, escuelas, iglesias, organizaciones, familias y más – junto con las compañías de recolección de basura y reciclaje. Brindamos educación y asistencia técnica para ayudar a la comunidad a vivir más sosteniblemente – por ejemplo, reducir desperdicio, conservar recursos, reciclar correctamente y adoptar prácticas más sostenibles. 

Nuestro programa ofrece varios servicios y recursos en español. Nuestro personal hispanohablante (conózcalos abajo) le puede ayudar a contestar preguntas sobre reciclaje específicas a su hogar, negocio u organización. También, más abajo puede ver nuestras páginas web en español.

Cómo cambiar las páginas del Condado al español

Cualquier página del Condado de Clackamas se puede leer en español (no funciona con Internet Explorer). Hacia arriba de cualquier página, haga clic en el botón ‘Select Language’ (o el icono de un globo en un dispositivo móvil) y seleccione ‘Spanish.’ OJO: Por la mayor parte, se usa la traducción automática de Google. Es instantáneo, pero no siempre es precisa. 

A continuación, puede ver más recursos sobre sostenibilidad, reciclaje y basura para la comunidad hispanohablante. Le invitamos a comunicarse con nosotros con cualquier duda o pregunta. Estamos aquí para servirles. 

En las siguientes secciones, encontrará recursos que hemos creado para la comunidad hispanohablante con la meta de ayudarle a vivir, trabajar, y jugar más sosteniblemente (“verde,” ecológicamente).

Conozca a los hispanohablantes de nuestro equipo

Noemí

Antes de servir como Asesora Bilingüe de Sostenibilidad para el Condado de Clackamas, Noemí sirvió como Asesora Bilingüe para la división de Residuos Sólidos y Reciclaje en el condado de Washington. Durante ese tiempo ella trabajó con negocios y disfrutó mucho de las conexiones que formó con varios de ellos. También disfrutó no solo de enseñarles a los negocios sobre prácticas de sostenibilidad, pero también de dar a relucir las practicas que los negocios Latinos/as ya están haciendo. Noemí está encantada de igual forma de poder servir a los negocios y a su comunidad Latina en el lugar que ella llama hogar.

Nurys

Nurys es Asistente Bilingüe de Reciclaje Comunitario y Eventos. Es de Lima, Perú y tiene 30 años viviendo en Oregon. Le encanta estar en contacto con la comunidad compartiendo y aprendiendo juntos acerca de las diferentes maneras en las que podemos mejorar nuestra calidad de vida y la del planeta con cosas tan simples, aunque no lo parezcan pero lo son, como formas de reducir desechos sólidos y la importancia de reusar y reciclar. Sólo hace falta un poco de nuestro esfuerzo para poder entender más lo que es vivir con sostenibilidad. Disfruta mucho de la familia, el teatro, ver series y documentales.

Tenille

Tenille (se pronuncia “Teníl”) es una Asesora Bilingüe de Sostenibilidad para la comunidad. Ella es de Oregón y también ha vivido en California y El Salvador (le hacen falta nuégados). Le gusta trabajar con el equipo de sostenibilidad por la gente y la misión. Ella cree que todos podemos hacer nuestra pequeña parte para mejorar el planeta y le encanta explorar con personas e identificar pasos que cada persona puede tomar para vivir más sosteniblemente. En su tiempo libre, le gusta ver baloncesto femenino, trabajar en su jardín y pasar tiempo con su familia.

Regrese a nuestra página principal en inglés para aprender más. Por favor tenga en cuenta las instrucciones mencionadas anteriormente sobre el uso de Google Translate en nuestro sitio web y que esta traducción no siempre es precisa.