Can’t cram furniture into the blue city-approved trash bag? Bulky waste pick-up returns (video)

On a day that may someday be made a Portland city holiday, the long-awaited return of bulky waste pick-up comes Monday. The restoration of curbside pickup of large objects, like used furniture, was a topic highlighted during the crowded mayoral race last fall, and although bulky waste wasn’t an item eventual winner Michael Brennan personally made a central point of his campaign, Brennan is nonetheless helping bring back the popular service.

The routine is this: As of Monday, Portland residents will be able to go to this website — http://www.recycle.portlandmaine.gov/ — and fill out a bulky item pickup application. The Department of Public Services will confirm the request through an email response, then send out a tag through the good old U.S. Postal Service.

The resident requesting the pickup will then tag the item and put it curbside on a subsequent date specified by the city.

Tags for items weighing less than 30 pounds are free, although they’ll only give out 10 to a given household in a year. Tags for items weighing more than 30 pounds are $40 each.

Here’s a statement by Troy Moon, the city’s environmental programs and open space manager:

We realize that people sometimes need to get rid of items that are too large to fit in a regular city of Portland trash bag. This could be an old piece of furniture or something smaller, such as a child’s car seat or an old kitchen chair. With this program, the answer is a click away.

If you’re still confused about something, here’s an informational video posted by the city, which also explains the sorts of things that are not eligible to be taken away in the program:

Seth Koenig

About Seth Koenig

Seth has nearly a decade of professional journalism experience and writes about the greater Portland region.