South Portland, ME Recycles Too

Rubbish and Recycling

Trash and recycling collection is conducted weekly by Pine Tree Waste, a local company contracted by the City, and hauled to ecomaine, a non-profit, community-owned recycling and waste-to-energy plant in Portland.

Each residence is issued two barrels – green for rubbish and blue for recycling. On your collection day, place barrels curbside, front-facing, by 7am and remove emptied containers by sunset the same day. Please note that yard and construction debris is not accepted in barrels. There is no large-item curbside pickup in South Portland.

**NEW!**  Use the interactive tool below to access new features: Check the pickup schedule for your address, add trash set-out reminders to your calendar, sign up for alerts such as disruptions in service. The Waste Wizard feature will help you answer “how should I dispose of this?” questions.

South Portland participates in a single-sort recycling program and encourages all residents to reduce the amount of waste you generate by recycling. Not only is recycling an environmentally-conscientious action, but it saves you money by saving the City money in solid waste tipping fees. Refer to the chart below for general recycling guidelines. Additional information, along with a submission form for questions about items not listed, can be found on ecomaine’s website.

Leaf and Christmas Tree Pick-up

Leaf pick-up is conducted annually during a 4-week period in the fall, usually in November. Leaves should be placed in biodegradable paper bags (no plastic bags, please), and left curbside until collected.

Christmas trees are collected for approximately 3 weeks following Christmas.

Both collections will be picked up by Public Works crews, not Pine Tree Waste. Please set leaf bags and trees curbside, but away from your trash barrels. Specific dates of both collections will be advertised in the Portland Press Herald and the South Portland Sentry, as well as on the city website and via South Portland’s e-community newsletter. If you should miss the collection dates, these items can be brought to the Transfer Facility, free of charge.

Hazardous Household Waste Collection

Public Works coordinates with Water Resource Protection to conduct an annual Household Hazardous Waste collection. Traditionally held in October, this drop-off day is offered free of charge to South Portland residents for the collection of HHW such as oil-based paints, pesticides, solvents, cleaners and other chemicals which could harm our environment if disposed of improperly. Drop-off date will be advertised in the Portland Press Herald and the South Portland Sentry, as well as on the main page of the city website, South Portland Public Works’ Facebook page and via South Portland’s e-community newsletter.

The Transfer Facility is open to residents of South Portland.  When you arrive at the Facility (from the access road, turn left at the bottom of the hill), please enter through the gates and proceed to the right, following the pavement to the attendant’s shack.  All visitors must check in with an attendant before disposing of yard debris or waste items, and prior to visiting the Swap Shop or silver bullet recycling containers.

HOURS OF OPERATION

The Transfer Facility is open Tuesday – Saturday, 8am-3:30pm. Because it is staffed by attendants who also assist during snow operations, the Transfer Facility may close early or not open at all during periods of inclement winter weather.  If that happens, information will be posted on this page, on our Facebook page, and in our outgoing phone messages.

Though normally closed Sundays, there are months when the Facility opens to the public on Sundays – usually twice annually in spring and fall.  Notice of Sunday hours is advertised in the locations mentioned above, as well as in the Portland Press Herald and the South Portland Sentry, and in City’s e-community newsletter.

FEES

No permit or annual fee is currently required to use the Transfer Facility, however there are fees for the disposal of most items, with the exception of yard waste (including Christmas trees), bulk oil and recycling. Please click the Accepted Items/Fees link at left for additional information.

COMMERCIAL USE

Commercial use of the Facility is not permitted, with the exception of leaves, grass and yard clippings. Trash haulers, contractors, landscapers or any person/company being paid to dispose of refuse other than listed above may not use this facility. Commercial entities may dispose of leaves, grass and yard clippings that originate from South Portland locations only. Fees for commercial disposal are noted in the Transfer Facility Accepted Items/Fees link.

SWAP SHOP 

The Swap Shop, a new resource at the Transfer Facility for reuse and recycling of gently-used items, opened to residents of South Portland in August, 2016. The Shop is a 3-season facility staffed by volunteers, and is open from April 1 to December 1. Hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 8am-3:30pm.  Click the Swap Shop link on the left for more information and a list of accepted items.