City of Portland, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability proposes to amend its administrative rules for solid waste collection.
Overview of changes
These administrative rules were originally adopted in 1992 and intended to set expectations for solid waste collection services either through a residential franchise or a commercial permit. These rules also provide expectations for businesses, or property managers that are customers of solid waste services.
The proposed changes are mostly housekeeping and include updating policies and outside policy references. Some amendments will provide clarity for service providers on expectations and guidelines for the services provided.
In addition, the Oregon Legislature passed the Oregon Recycling Modernization Act (SB 582) in 2021 to update the state's outdated recycling system. Implementation began on July 1, 2025. Many of the policy changes in these proposed rules anticipate the needs of this new system.
The waste team engaged with customers, internal staff, haulers, and legal staff to obtain feedback and prioritize policy changes and improvements. This process included consideration of customer requests from the waste information phone line and email, internal requests, and hauler engagement and encompassed six meetings for the commercial rules and two meetings for the residential rules.
Summary of changes
Residential rule changes
- Bulky waste – Formalizing the bulky waste services, creating new expectations for service delivery and setting rates for bulky waste items.
- Low-income rate assistance – Setting expectations of confidentiality and reporting to administer the low-income rate assistance program.
- Missed collections, franchisee's fault - This rule was amended a year ago to include a rebate for repeated missed collections. After one year of implementation, clarification was needed to address timelines for rebates.
- Transporting to recycling markets - Includes DEQ language required by the Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act.
- Battery recycling - Added to clarify the intent of the curbside battery recycling program, requiring that all batteries collected must be recycled.
- Response to customers – To provide excellent customer service, franchisees must respond to customers or to BPS staff investigating customer complaints within 4 hours.
- Glass collection - Added language to require load tickets for residential glass collection in alignment with the Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act glass collection incentive.
Commercial Service rule changes
- Definitions - New terms are proposed to be defined to support policies; "bulky wastes," "stinger collections," and "third party sub-contractors" added to address these needs for waste collection.
- Clean Fleet Practices and Renewable Fuel Standard - Removes the schedule that expired January 1, 2025, and requires all trucks to be 2010 or newer.
- Customer service expectations - Requirements updated to reflect the same standards provided to residential customers.
- Hours of collection - Clarified restrictions on collection times for different commercial property types within and outside of downtown, as well as the designation of a building as multifamily or mixed-used.
- Bulky waste - Added new requirements for providing collection within a certain time after customer request and upfront transparent pricing.
- Nighttime noise - Added a noise reduction remedy on stinger collection practices and adjusted other remedies like back up beepers, based on hauler feedback.
- Safety - Updated to reflect the same standards provided to residential customers.
- Contracts - Added reference to Oregon Revised Statute requirements on automatic renewal of customer contracts.
- Enforcement - Updated to reflect the same standards provided to residential customers.
- Container specifications - Aligned container colors and added a rule that requires permittees to ensures that charges for container removal are clear and transparent to the customer.
- Glass collection - Added language to require load tickets for residential glass collection in alignment with the Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act glass collection incentive.
- Transporting to recycling markets - Includes DEQ language required by the Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act.
Commercial Customer rule changes
- Definitions - New terms are proposed to be defined to support policies; "bulky wastes," and "third party sub-contractors" added to address these needs for waste collection.
- Waste storage areas - Added detail on the type of solid waste collection bins required in enclosure spaces, minimum service standards, and a reference to other standards (including fire safety) required through other bureaus.
- Enforcement - Updated to reflect the same standards provided to residential customers.
- Waiver - Six-month waiver adjusted to be renewable for rules related to commercial customers.
Public comment period is now open
The proposed updated Residential Solid Waste, Recycling, and Composting Administrative Rules are now available for review. All files show edits in track changes (strike-through [deleted text] and underline [new text]).
Residential Garbage, Recycling, and Compost Collection Administrative Rules (current rules)
Commercial Collection Services: Solid Waste, Recyclables, and Compostables Administrative Rules (current rules)
Commercial Collection Customers: Solid Waste, Recyclables, and Compostables Administrative Rules (current rules)
How to submit comments
If you have specific comments or edits about any of the above proposed Admin Rule changes, email your comments to wasteinfo@portlandoregon.gov or call 503-823-7202.
The deadline to submit comments is Friday, November 21, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.
After the comment period closes
The City Administrator will consider all submitted comments on a proposed administrative rule.
The City Administrator will post an overall summary of the comments received and the City Administrator's response. If the rule is approved, staff will review all proposed changes and then finalize and create clean copies of the rules for final review and posting by the City Auditor's office.
A notice will be sent via email to all recipients of the original notice (previously identified stakeholder groups) once the updates are complete. If you did not receive the notice of the comment period and would like to receive the final notice, please email wasteinfo@portlandoregon.gov.