Recycling Information

Curbside

Portsmouth offers single stream recycling, which means residents put all recyclable waste into one recycling bin.

Materials Accepted:

• Aluminum food and beverage containers 
• Glass food and beverage containers – brown, clear, or green
• Plastic containers with the symbols #1 thru #7

All types of paper.  The motto: If you can rip it – recycle it!  This includes but is not limited to:

• Office paper
• Newspaper, Magazines, Catalogs
• Mail & Junk mail
• Manila folders
• Cereal and Pasta boxes
• Aseptic cartons such as juice, soy, broth, milk cartons, etc.
• Phone & paperback books
• Corrugated cardboard

If the cardboard is too large for the bin:

• Flatten boxes and bundle together;
• Place bundled cardboard next to recycle bin.

Materials Not Accepted:

• Mirrors
• Window or auto glass
• Light bulbs
• Ceramics, Porcelain or glass cookware
• Plastics un-numbered and Styrofoam
• Plastic bags

2016 Recovery Rate Analysis

Yard Waste

• Use paper bags or trash barrel clearly marked “yard waste”. 
• Bags no more than 50 lbs each.  
• Brush – must be bundled into groups for easy pick up.  Bundles should not be greater than 1’ in diameter and 4’ in length.  Brush pieces w/in bundles no greater than 5” in diameter.  Use string or twine to bundle.

Bulky Waste

Residents can bring bulky waste items to the Recycling Center.  If you are unable to bring your bulky waste to the Recycling Center (427-1530):

• Call Public Works to schedule a pick.  The bulky waste will not be picked up unless you schedule a pick up.
• Public Works will schedule and let you know of the date(s) for collection of your specified materials. 
• Place your bulky waste curbside no earlier than 7:00 P.M. the evening before the scheduled pick-up date.
• Do not place the waste curbside without scheduling a collection date with Public Works.

Each residential property is allowed 4 curbside collections of bulky waste per calendar quarter, each of which shall be limited to a maximum of 64 cubic feet per collection (approximately a mid-sized pick-up truck load).

Specialty Items

Specialty items Portsmouth residents can recycle – bring to the Recycling Center, no curbside collection available

• Antifreeze
• Batteries -(Please note: Alkaline Batteries can be disposed of in the regular household trash.) 
• Clothing 
• Cooking oil
• Eyeglasses
• Fluorescent light bulbs
• Oil & oil filters
• Propane tanks (empty)
• Vegetable oil

Other

RV waste (Pease Treatment Plant, (603) 427-1553)

Household Hazardous Waste

The following items are/or contain hazardous waste but can be disposed of throughout the year – bring to the Recycling Center or call DPW to schedule a pick up.
A fee is charged for these items to cover extra handling and processing for proper disposal.
$ 5.00 per tire
$10.00 per electronic unit
$20.00 per freon containing unit (i.e. refrigerators, air conditioners)