Garbage and Recycling

To review the county's overall solid waste management plan for unincorporated areas and garbage collection rates. 

Oregon’s Opportunity to Recycle Act requires property managers of multifamily communities with 5+ units to:

• provide residents with access to recycling (mixed and glass) and
• educate residents at move-in and at least annually, thereafter.

We can help by offering recycling resources and services to meet the unique needs of your community.

Request Outreach Materials and Assistance

We offer free recycling resources and services to meet the unique needs of multifamily communities. This includes:

• recycling guides for new resident move-in packets — available in seven languages,
• easy-to-read recycling stickers for bins and signs for enclosures,
• presentations, trainings, and events for residents of multifamily communities,
• and more!

Multifamily Garbage & Recycling Improvements

Regionally, we recognize that multifamily communities face challenges with garbage and recycling that single-family homes don’t. Together, we are trying to help with a number of improvements outlined in the 2030 Regional Waste Plan:

• Minimum Service
  All garbage and recycling will be collected at least weekly. Multifamily property managers/owners will still need to provide “adequate” service, and new per unit minimum (and recommended) volumes will help right-size service
  Multifamily Service Calculator
• Regional Signage
  Shared multifamily bins in the tri-county area will have consistent, image-based garbage and recycling signage.
• Bulky Waste Collection
  Multifamily communities will have “regularly-occurring bulky waste collection.” (Research, reports*, and engagement of interested parties are helping to inform this service.)
• Color Standards
  By July 1, 2028, shared multifamily garbage and recycling bins throughout the tri-county area will be consistently colored: garbage will be gray/black, recycling blue, glass orange, and yard debris/food waste (when available) green.

For additional details, view our Multifamily Regional Service Standard Improvements Summary Flyer. 

*View recent multifamily bulky waste reports: 2022-23 ClackCo Multifamily Bulky Waste Project  | 2021 ClackCo Multifamily Bulky Waste Pilot

Stay Connected

Sign up for our quarterly e-newsletter to receive hints, tips and reminders for property managers, staff and residents. Content can be shared, copied and inserted into your own community newsletters.

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Recent Editions

• Summer 2025
• Winter/Spring 2025
• Fall/Winter 2024
• Summer/Fall 2024

Tips for Success

Download our waste reduction and recycling rating tool to help identify opportunities for improvement in your community.

Calculate your score

Having a successful garbage and recycling system in your community benefits everyone: property managers, residents, maintenance staff and the collector. It can also help keep your costs manageable and predictable. Below are a few things you can do to get your community off on the right foot (don’t hesitate to contact us for help):

• Ensure garbage, recycling and glass are available on-site (studies show for best results, place all three containers together).
• “Right-size your service” — make sure you have enough container space (no overflow), but not too much (consistently empty space adds to your costs).
• Encourage residents to recycle correctly by providing educational materials.
• Don’t let overflow or bulky waste accumulate — it only encourages more! Contact your garbage and recycling company for pick-up.
• Reuse is a great alternative to waste — plan an annual or ongoing swap event for residents to exchange unwanted items (large or small) or encourage the use of online platforms like Facebook Marketplace, BuyNothing, etc.

Bulky waste

To effectively manage bulky waste (large, unwanted items, like sofas and TVs), have a plan:

• Request a customized Bulky Waste Flyer to give to residents at move-out for donation and disposal options.
• Designate a place for residents to place their bulky items that does not cause safety concerns or block access to garbage and recycling.
• Develop a cost-sharing plan for residents and property managers to split the cost of disposal of large, unwanted items.
• Contact us! We can help you troubleshoot. 

Dispose of Waste

• Illegal dumping and theft of service can be costly for a property owner. Contact your garbage & recycling company for pick-up. To help deter illegal dumping at your community:
  • Post Signs — Citing ORS may help
    • Theft of Service (ORS 164.125): using garbage and recycling containers or service without explicit permission
    • Illegal Dumping or Offensive Littering (ORS 164.805): discarding of trash or other debris, without permission, on public or private property
• Send Letters — If you find mail with an address, send a letter stating that it is illegal for non-residents to use the bins
• E-cycles (desktop computers, laptops, monitors, TVs and printers)
• Fluorescent lamp recycling
• Hazardous waste
• Donate usable building materials, appliances and fixtures
• Search Metro’s Find A Recycler website for Disposal and Donation options
• Shopping Cart Return: Not all stores participate in these collection services, so you may need to contact the store directly
  • Regionally: Northwest Grocery Association Cart Retrieval Service at 503-899-2475
  • In Oregon City
  • In Milwaukie

Opportunities for Multifamily Communities

• Incentives offered through Energy Trust of Oregon for energy-saving retrofits such as window replacements, insulation, sealing gaps and cracks, and heating and cooling systems.
• Purchase discounted paint through MetroPaint.
• Become a Leader in Sustainability and join the network of other sustainable businesses in Clackamas County.

Hazardous waste can pose a health and safety risk to you, workers, and the environment. These items should be properly disposed of at a household hazardous waste facility:

• Aerosol spray products
• Art and hobby chemicals
• Automotive fluids
• Batteries
• Fire extinguishers
• Household cleaners and disinfectants
• Mercury-container products (fluorescent light bulbs and tubes, thermometers, thermostats)
• Paints, stains, solvents and thinners
• Pesticides and poisons
• Pool and spa chemicals
• Propane tanks
• Sharps (medical syringes, lancets, etc.)
• Unwanted or expired medicines and drugs
• Full list of Household Hazardous Waste

If you find these items in your home, we recommend using them up (pool, spa, art or other chemicals). If you no longer have use for them, see if a family member or neighbor is in need of the product (paints, stains, etc.). If the items are no longer usable or you cannot find someone who could use them, households can safely dispose of up to 35 gallons of hazardous household products at Metro's household hazardous waste facility in Oregon City.

Find a Disposal Location

View our Garbage and Recycling Transfer Stations and Depots page to find disposal locations throughout the county for common household hazardous waste, including the Metro South Household Hazardous Waste Facility.

Unsure where to properly dispose of an item? Use the Metro Find a Recycler tool or call 503-234-3000.

Preventing Hazardous Waste

Consider reducing the hazardous products you use at home:

• Read labels carefully before purchasing to understand the dangers/warnings
• Buy only what you need
• Share leftovers with someone who can use them
• Choose safer alternatives:
  • Look for credible eco-certification labels on products like (Green Seal, Safer Choice, and EcoLogo), but watch out for greenwashing
  • Make your own, less toxic cleaners using ingredients you can find in your home (like baking soda and vinegar). Find recipes at Metro's Green Cleaning
  • Consider Natural Yard & Garden alternatives
  • Learn more about hazardous products with "The Hazardless Home Handbook"

Trash, old appliances, mattresses, tires, furniture, oil, antifreeze and pesticides are a few of the things dumped on public lands, sidewalks, alleyways and waterways, putting human health and wildlife at risk. If you see people actively dumping items, do not confront them. Note the vehicle’s license plate number, make and model, items dumped and location. You can report this information to your local law enforcement.

Cleanup on Public Property

On public roadways within Clackamas County

• Clackamas County Road Concerns (phone or online form)

On public land within the Metro Urban Growth Boundary

• Metro Regional Illegal Dumping Patrol (RID Patrol)

On forest lands

• Clackamas County forest lands
  • ClackCo Forestry Department     
    503-742-4414
• State owned land
  • Oregon Department of Forestry
    503-945-7200
• Federally owned land
  • US Forest Service – Clackamas River Ranger District 
    503-622-2009
  • Bureau of Land Management – Northwest Oregon District
    503-375-5646

Cleanup on Private Property

Clean up of illegal dumps on private property is the responsibility of the property owner. Concerns about the collection of waste on a neighbor’s property can be reported to code enforcement.

Within unincorporated County

• Clackamas County Code Enforcement

Within city limits

• Contact your city’s code enforcement