Recycle+

What areas offer Recycle+ collection?

Recycle+ is available to single family homes through fourplex homes in the cities listed below. Is Recycle+ Available? Enter your address and see if Recycle+ is available where you live. Recycle+ is available to single family homes and apartments in Urban unincorporated Washington County.

Get started!

Recycle+ optional service is available from your garbage and recycling company. You will pay a monthly base fee and a curbside pickup fee per collection. However, you can ask your garbage company for service at another location on your property.

1. Contact your garbage and recycling company to sign up.
2. Sort and bag material by type. You will receive a purple bin and bags prior to your first collection day.
3. Schedule a pickup. Contact your garbage and recycling company at least two business days before your collection day.
4. Set your bin. Have your bin out by 6 a.m. your collection day. All bagged materials must fit inside the bin, with the lid on.
5. Sign up for reminders. Use the Garbage and Recycling Day online tool or use the app to view your schedule and set up your reminders for Recycle+ special collection.

Tip: You can share service and split the cost of pickups with family, friends or neighbors.

How to find your garbage and recycling company?

Use the Garbage and Recycling Day online tool or app to find your garbage and recycling company.

• Evergreen Disposal & Recycling Inc.: 503-357-3510
• Garbarino Disposal and Recycling Service: Sign up or request a pickup online or call 503-647-2335
• Hillsboro Garbage Disposal, Inc.: 503-648-4219
• Pride Disposal: Sign up or schedule a pickup online with Pride Disposal or call 503-625-6177
• Republic Services: 503-981-1278
• Swatco Sanitary Service, Inc: 503-324-0230
• Walker Garbage and Recycling Service: 503-531-6330
• WM: Sign up or schedule a pickup online with WM Northwest or call 800-808-5901

Accepted materials:

Stretchy plastic film/bags

• Plastic bags
• Produce 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

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

Textiles

• Bed linens
• Clothing
• Towels/rags

Compact fluorescent light bulbs

• Long fluorescent tubes used in commercial lighting are not accepted.
• Bulbs must be contained in a zip-sealed bag.

Visit What to Recycle and Where to find free drop-off locations near you as well as tips to reduce and reuse these materials.

Recycle+ special collection for September and October:

School supplies accepted for donation

Paper products

• Notebooks (spiral, composition, cute journals)
• Notebook paper, 8.5 x 11 copy paper and cardstock
• Graph paper
• Art paper (construction, scrapbooking, drawing, etc.)
• Drawing and watercolor pads, note pads
• Folders (2-pocket, project, hanging file)
• 3-ring binders (clean with little to no branding)
• Workbooks, non-English books, coloring and activity books
• Post-it notes
• Mailing labels, envelopes

Other supplies

• Stapler, staples
• Binder clips, paper clips, thumbtacks
• Rubber bands
• Clipboards
• Tape (scotch, masking, packaging)
• Tape dispensers
• 1 or 3-hole punches
• Sheet protectors
• Desk organizers (in and out trays, etc.)
• Calculators
• Rulers, protractors, compasses
• Scissors (adult and child)
• Glue sticks

Arts and crafts

• Oil pastels, crayons
• Paint brushes
• Ink pads, stamps
• Clay
• Beads
• Foam sheets/shapes, feathers, puff balls
• Felt, yarn, embroidery floss
• Popsicle sticks
• Craft kits
• Small art tools

Pens, pencils, markers

• #2 pencils, coloring pencils
• Pencil sharpeners
• Pens and markers (permanent, washable, dry erase, whiteboard, highlighters)
• Erasers, whiteboard erasers
• Correction tape
• Pencil pouches, pencil cases
  

Classroom fun

• Seed packets
• Building blocks
• Stickers, small prizes
• Science materials (lab coats, test tubes, science kits, etc.)

Bags and packs

• Backpacks
• Lunch boxes
• Reusable lunch bags
• Thermos
  

Not accepted for donation

• No liquids, including glues or paints.
• No broken or non-working items.
• No stained or dirty items or items with writing on them.

Instructions for preparing materials for special collection:

1. Prepare donations for collection. Place good-condition, usable items in a plastic bag. You can use a Recycle+ bag or a large kitchen waste bag.
2. Schedule a pickup. Contact your garbage and recycling company to request a pickup at least two business days before your regular Recycle+ collection day.
3. Set out your Recycle+ bin on your scheduled pickup day. Put the donation bag in your bin and close the lid. If the bin is full, put the bag next to it.

Make sure your items are clean and in ready-to-use condition. Washington County and garbage and recycling companies are collecting supplies to distribute to local teachers and students in need.

If you have any questions, contact us for more information.

Upcoming recycle+ special collections:

• December - January: String lights

Where do the materials go?

• Stretchy plastic bags and film are shipped to a company that uses the materials to manufacture outdoor products such as composite decking, playground equipment and benches. Currently, the primary company receiving Recycle+ plastic film is TREX.
• Clear plastic #1 clamshell containers are delivered to a recycling processing facility and, in coordination with D6inc, the PET thermoform, clamshell containers are recycled into new PET plastic packaging.
• Textiles are sent to Pioneer Wiping Cloth, a local company that recycles/downcycles textiles into wiping cloths and rags. 
• Compact fluorescent lightbulbs are sent to processors who are vetted and have received third party certification such as through R2, RIOS and/or e-stewards.

Recycle+ materials are handled by local, private facilities that work with a variety of end markets. These markets, like most markets for recyclable scrap commodities, are variable and may change over time.

For questions or concerns

Find answers to frequently asked questions below. Contact your garbage and recycling company for questions, to request service, or for issues related to collection.