Recycle Porter County

05/29/2026

New to You!! 🥝🍇🍍🍏🍉

Check out these graphics to know WHERE you can compost your food waste and WHAT items are accepted/not-accepted

Have fun composting!! ✨️

05/29/2026

✨️ COMPOST YOUR FOOD SCRAPS!! ✨️

We have TWO 24/7 drop-off locations for your food waste here in Porter County 🍉🍍🍇🥝

🍏 One being the Banta Center (605 Beech St in Valparaiso) & another at 1490 Broadway in the Town of Chesterton!! 🍏

AND starting next Tuesday, you can stop by the Valparaiso Farmers Markets on Tuesdays to drop off your food waste from 9am-1pm

We are all about supporting ways you can reduce your waste to keep our local environments clean and healthy !! Come help us out by composting your food scraps instead of sending them to a landfill 🩷

05/27/2026

BEAUTIFUL DAY TO COMPOST YOUR FOOD WASTE!! 🍎🥑🥭🥝🍏🍍🍉🍇

We are here at the for the last week this season before transitioning to having our 24/7 drop-off location in Chesterton!!

Thank you to for having us this year and for supporting our mission. You all are amazing!! 💛☀️

Check out the 24/7 food waste operation at 1490 Broadway in Chesterton IN to continue your food waste composting journey!

Any questions... ask below! ⬇️

05/22/2026

💥ANNOUNCEMENT!!! COMPOST UPDATE!!💥

As of today, May 22nd, 2026, all three (3) compost sites in Porter County (Boone Grove, Portage, and Valparaiso) are officially OUT of compost for the 2026 season!!

Mulch is still available. Residents and non-residents can self-load mulch for free. At the Valparaiso Compost Site, assisted loading is available for free every Tues, Thurs, and Sat from 9am-2pm.

✨️Just a reminder!!✨️ Pick-up and drop-off serviced are free for Porter County residents ONLY.

Thank you!! Have a wonderful weekend!

05/21/2026

CLEANING TIME IS HERE!! 🩵💚🩷

We have recently been getting a LOT of calls about what to do with certain items that show up while spring cleaning + garage sale season is upon us!!

Check out these graphics to learn some more ways to have an eco-friendly spring cleaning season! And check out our website (linked in bio) to find out more about what our compost sites have to offer.

FYI... our compost sites DO NOT take treated wood (think old deck wood, cabinets, dressers, etc...),tiles, construction garbage, or anything other than what is listed in these graphics and on our website.

The Compost sites DO take electronics (things with a plug), lightbulbs, batteries, books, curbside recycling materials, and yard waste (see graphics).

ANY QUESTIONS? Call 219-465-3694 or comments below! ✨️

Happy Spring Cleaning!! 🪷🦋🌱

05/19/2026

YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS!! 🛠️🧡🛠️

Register HERE for FREE: https://portercountyrecycling.org/fix-it-fairs/

Our next Fix-It Fair of 2026 is officially on Saturday, June 20th, 2026 from 10-1pm at the Valparaiso Public Library (103 Jefferson Street, Valparaiso IN, 46383)

Don’t buy new things, be eco-kings and queens while you fix those items that are broken at our FREE TO THE PUBLIC Fix-It Fair!!

✨ Registration is REQUIRED ✨

Services are available for a variety of repairs from sewing, jewelry, small appliances, IT: computer and electronic, clocks, and small furniture assembly/repair!!

See you all in June!! ♥️🛠️♥️

05/19/2026

Celebrate the Earth, EVERYDAY! 🌎

It has been almost a month since our 2026 Earth Day Celebration, but we are still celebrating!!

Thank you to everyone who came out as volunteers, vendors, and attendees to this year's Earth Day.

Check out this video recapping all that went on at our Celebration, and make sure to SAVE THE DATE for Earth Day 2027!!

We will be celebrating on Saturday, April 17th, 2027, at the Porter County Expo Center!

Can't wait to see you all there ♥

05/13/2026

**CORRECTED**

HAVE MEDICAL SHARPS?? DISPOSE OF THEM WITH US!! 💉🚨

Common medical sharps you can find at home are needles used for injections, syringes, lancets, auto-injectors, infusion sets, GLP-1 injectors, etc...

If you have any of these at home, please collect them in an enclosed hard container (old milk jugs or laundry jugs) and bring them to either of the locations in the graphic!

We make sure they are disposed of properly so they do not injure humans, wildlife, or our environment when improperly thrown away! 💞

05/12/2026

Thank you for always supporting us, Chesterton! 🌎

Start collecting your HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE for next collection at Portage High School on Saturday June 6

The Recycling & Waste Reduction District of Porter County will host its next Household Hazardous Waste collection event, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 6, at Portage High School, 6451 U.S. 6, Portage.

Please enter from Pan Am Boulevard.

Residents are encouraged to safely dispose of products containing corrosive, toxic, ignitable or reactive substances. Common household hazardous waste items include anti-freeze, motor oil, batteries (household annd automotive), fluorescent bulbs, deck stains, pool chemicals, pesticides, and household smoke detectors.

Folks may also drop off medical sharps, including diabetic needles, blood lancets, insulin pens, epi-pens, syringes, expired over-the-counter medicines, and non-narcotic prescriptions.

Items NOT accepted at this event: Electronics, LATEX PAINTS, grill propane cylinders, and large containers over 55 gallons in size.

For those unable to participate in this collection event, the next will held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 20, at Chesterton High School, 2125 S. 11th St., Chesterton.

JUST A REMINDER: Household Hazardous Waste collection events are open to Porter County households only, not businesses.

For more information contact the Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County at 219-465-3694 or [email protected]

ACCEPTED HHW ITEMS

*Aerosol cans.
*Alcohol-based lotions.
*Ammonia-based cleaners.
*Ammunition.
*Antifreeze.
*Asbestos.
*Auto body filler.
*Auto paint.
*Bathroom cleaners.
*Batteries (household and automotive.)
*Car wax with solvent.
*Cooking oil.
*Corrosives.
*Diesel.
*Disinfectants.
*Drain cleaners.
*Driveway sealant.
*Dry-cleaning solvents.
*Expired medications in original containers (controlled substances not accepted).
*Fire extinguishers.
*Flares.
*Floor care products.
*Fluorescent tubes (taped together).
*Fuel-oil based.
*Fungicides.
*Gasoline.
*Gun-cleaning solvents.
*Herbicides.
*Insecticides.
*Kerosene.
*Lighter fluid.
*Medical sharps and needles (place in hard plastic bottles).
*Mercury-containing projects (CFLs, thermometers, thermostats, etc.).
*Metal polish.
*Moth balls.
*Nail polish.
*Nail polish remover.
*Oil.
*Oven cleaners.
*Oil-based paint ONLY (no latex paint accepted 2026).
*Paint brush cleaner with solvent or TSP.
*Paint stripper.
*Paint thinner.
*Pesticides.
*Photographic chemicals.
*Poisons.
*Primer.
*Rodenticide.
*Rust remover.
*Septic tank degreasers.
*Small helium tanks.
*Small propane cylinders.
*Smoke detectors.
*Swimming pool chemicals.
*Thinners and solvents.
*Toilet bowl cleaners.
*Va**ng supplies.

HHW ITEMS NOT ACCPETED

*Commercial hazardous waste.
*Compressed gas cylinders.
*Containers larger than 30 gallons.
*Controlled medications.
*Electronics.
*Fireworks (commercial grade).
*Latex paint.
*Medical waste other than medicines and sharps.
*Large propane cylinders (BBQ).
*Radioactive materials.

05/12/2026

THIS IS HUGE!! 😁💥👀

If you have not heard, but our Food Waste Composting Program has grown!! 🍎💚

We now offering TWO (2) 24/7 Drop-Off Locations for your food waste in Porter County!!

1. the ✨️NEW✨️ 24/7 drop off location is located in the Town of Chesterton at 1490 Broadway.

2. the Banta Center location at 605 Beech Street is our other 24/7 Drop-Off Location still 🩷thriving🩷 in Valparaiso.

We are THRILLED about this expansion!! Which is made possible by our residents who are prioritizing waste reduction!! YOU ALL ARE AMAZING!! 🔥

Any questions?? Comment Below! ⬇️