2026 Recap

The Big Swap & Drop event was a huge success! Thank you volunteers! 

  • 23 volunteers plus nonprofit org staff!!

  • Approximately 140 households served

  • $1368.86 collected in cash donations

  • Total cost of the event: ~$5000 which is how much we got for a grant.

  • Swap was buzzing, neighbors and local nonprofits picked up lots of great new-to-them items.

  • Recycled: 18 bags of block styrofoam and dozens of plastic tubs, 4975 pounds of metal and electronics, a dozen tires.

  • 230lbs of CFL bulbs, sharps, batteries collected for proper disposal.

  • 3, 40ft drop boxes collected almost 9 tons of bulky waste.

  • Frog and Toad picked up 13 yds, approx 1,040 lbs of swap leftovers to distribute to local orgs, or for repair/resale or repurpose.

  • We diverted at least 2 drop boxes worth of items either to new homes or recycling!! Great job all!

Sign up HERE to volunteer. We need you!

THE BIG SWAP & DROP

REUSE, RECYCLE AND DITCH THE REST!

NEIGHBORHOOD FREE SWAP, RECYCLE & DUMPSTER DAY EVENT

2027 date tbd

Everything opens at 9 am

***Dumpsters, Limited Haz Waste, Recycling & Swap Donations CLOSE at NOON***

Swap pick up ONLY from NOON - 2PM

Dumpsters close at NOON OR UNTIL THE DUMPSTERS ARE FULL

SEI PARKING LOT / UNTHANK PARK (3920 N KERBY AVE)

Entrance is on Failing St, exit Kerby Ave

The Big Swap & Drop Event is a volunteer-organized service to the neighborhood. Our mission is to create a fun, community swap event as well as divert as much as we can from going to the dumpsters and only dump truly broken, unusable items. Neighbors bring their bulky trash and non-curbside recycling to the drop-off place, for a fee for its disposal (but is not required). The fee is much lower (plus it’s more convenient) than going to depots and the Metro Transfer Station. Funds raised go toward community events and projects.

Check acceptance lists for everything as not everything is accepted which means we cannot accept everything and we don’t want you to waste your time loading up items we can’t take.

The swap area is FREE to everyone. You do not need to donate goods to receive.

Enter the Unthank/SEI parking lot on N Failing and Exit on N Kerby. Check in with volunteers before driving through. Walk ups welcome, but still need to check in.

Donations encouraged, but not required.

Suggested donations: $10 for small Loads, $20 dresser, large rug or couch, or other heavy item, $40+ for pickup load

No trailer loads/large rental vehicles accepted. We reserve space for people who can’t make it to the dump or can’t justify a dump run for a few bulky items.

For reference, the dump charges a minimum of $45 and much more, $150+ for a small truckload.

NO ONE WILL BE TURNED AWAY FOR LACK OF FUNDS

NOT EVERYTHING IS ACCEPTED

Please review acceptance lists for recyclables and dump before lugging big items to the event!

Click HERE to see details about specific items partners accept for reuse or recycling.

Thank you to all of our partners for this event:

Community Warehouse / Green Century Recycling / Reclaim It / Community Cycling Center / Metro Hazardous Waste / Second Hand Pet Supply / Habitat for Humanity / A Caring Closet / Repair PDX / Les Schwab Tires

RECYCLING:

Accepting: Electronics, Metals, Block Styrofoam and Tires for recycling. NO Mattresses.

Green Century Recycling - Acceptance Full List of accepted/not accepted electronics

ELECTRONICS:

  • Cables, chargers and adapters

  • Printers and scanners

  • Routers and modems

  • Desktop computers, laptops and tablets

  • Keyboards, mouse and peripherals

  • Small electronics (ie. DVD player, gaming consoles)

  • Mobile phones and accessories

METAL is excepted for recycling.

BLOCK STYROFOAM: A neighbor has volunteered to take clean, dry block styrofoam for recycling.

TIRES are accepted for recycling by Les Schwab Tires. NO tires in the dumpster.

***NO MATTRESSES this year. Mattresses for recycling or reuse can be accepted year round at Community Warehouse on MLK and Shaver. Check Community Warehouse hours for drop off times.

FREE SWAP:

You don’t need to donate to take items. All items in swap area are free!

Bring items you’d be proud to share! There will be a swap area for donating reusable items. At the end of the event, our partners will pick up the leftovers.

Accepting free swap donations from 9 AM until NOON. From NOON to 2PM, only the swap will be open for pick up only.

  • Tools

  • Arts & Crafts

  • Pet supplies in reusable condition

  • Durable medical equipment

  • Furniture

  • Clothing

  • Decor

  • Home goods

HAZARDOUS WASTE:

This is a separate station from the dumpster. Do NOT throw haz waste in dumpster.

No Chemicals, paints, solvents, freon, asbestos, etc.

Metro Acceptance List: Batteries, Sharps, CFL light bulbs

DUMPSTER:

Bring your bulky waste items that are too big for your regular trash bin. No hazardous materials or construction materials. See below for list of accepted/not accepted materials. No large trailers or rented box trucks. We want to have space for those who can make it to the dump.

YES!

ACCEPTED ITEMS INCLUDE:

  • Household junk (ie. broken furniture, toys, bikes, dishes, unusable clothes, totes etc)

  • Yard debris, large stumps, branches, but NOT soil/dirt

  • Plastic (plastic film, bags and clamshells are always accepted for recycling at New Seasons)

  • Appliances (NOT containing freon), check metal recycling first.

  • Moldy mattresses that can’t be recycled.


NO!

NOT ACCEPTED ITEMS INCLUDE:

  • No Gas or Oils or Liquids of any sort

  • No Motors- car, lawn mower, trimmers, go kart

  • No Household garbage (no kitchen plastic bags full of household trash)

  • No food waste

  • No paints of any sort (Recycle paint at PaintCare)

  • No construction materials that may contain asbestos or lead. ig. textured drywall, felt paper, painted boards, etc.

  • No concrete, too heavy and can be recycled. Small piece, OK. Large amounts of concrete can be recycled at Fazio Landfill and Recycling at 8433 NE 13th Ave, Portland, OR 97211. $20 up to 4 tons, $5/ton after that.

  • No hazardous waste (ie, batteries, light bulbs, chemicals)

  • No soil/dirt

  • No freon appliances (ie. fridge, air conditioners)

  • No tires in dumpster. (Dump charges $100/tire!) We do accept tires for recycling in the recycle area.

  • No Mattresses in dumpster. Community Warehouse accepts mattresses for recycling year round.

PARTNERS

A Caring Closet

Do you have new or gently used durable medical equipment (DME) you no longer need? Your donation can make a life-changing difference for someone in our community. Common equipment includes walkers, wheelchairs, shower chairs, and incontinence supplies (open packages are acceptable) and so much more for a full list please click here. If you have questions - email: info@acaringcloset.org

 

Community Warehouse

You’ve heard of a food bank? Our furniture bank mission is similar, except we focus on household goods and furnishings. What we most need right now and a full list.

 

We believe there are enough beds, blankets, pots and pans, and furnishings circulating in our community for everyone. We connect these donated household items to neighbors overcoming adversity, creating stronger homes and brighter futures.

 

Reclaim It

At ReClaim It, we source the vast majority of our inventory from the Metro Central Transfer Station (the “dump”) in an effort to keep reusable items from continuing on to the landfill. Material Donations we accept.

 

Community Cycling Center

Our vision: to help build a vibrant community where people of all backgrounds use bicycles to stay healthy and connected. We believe that all Portlanders—regardless of income or background—should have the opportunity to experience the joy, freedom, and health benefits of bicycling. This is the motivation behind everything that we do.

For a full list of items accepted for donation. 

Second Hand Pet Supplies 

Secondhand Pet Supply was created to save pet owners money on products they need while helping the environment. We are here to help eliminate unwanted clutter from pet products. Do you have something new, gently used or damaged you want to donate? Secondhand Pet Supply takes everything pet-related (even damaged items) except food that has expired past a year and expired medication.

 

ReStore Habitat for Humanity

Donating your items helps keep usable items out of our local landfill, and supports our mission of building strength, stability and independence through affordable homeownership. Donation Guidelines. 

Repair PDX

Repair PDX has been organizing Repair Cafés where volunteers fix broken household items for free. We are also currently expanding our repair education programming by offering workshops to help people fix their own items - learn more here.

At this event, we will collect the following donated items for resale: fans, lamps, power tools, toasters, and air fryers. 

Frog & Toad Hauling

At the end of the event, after the swap and all reusable items are taken by participants, Frog & Toad comes to take items that can be repaired or upcycled for a fee that we cover.

This event is sponsored by a generous grant from Metro.