Transfer Station, Trash Collection, Electronic Waste & Recycling

Transfer Station / Recycling Center Location and Hours

Location

11 Industrial Road
Ellsworth, Maine 04605
207-667-1181

Hours of Operation

Monday – Closed
Tuesday – 8:00a.m. – 4p.m.
Wednesday – 12p.m. – 4:00p.m.
Thursday, Friday, Saturday – 8:00a.m. – 4p.m.
Sunday – Closed

Services

The City of Ellsworth offers residents pay per bag trash collection via curbside pickup, free recycling at the recycling center and pay per bag or pay per pound trash drop off at the transfer station. A trash bag sticker is $4 and can be purchased at Ellsworth City Hall, the Transfer Station, Shaw Supermarket, Freshie’s on High Street, and Josie’s Country Store and Cafe.

For those using the scales, or paying by weight (pay by pound), it is $160 a ton, $8 minimum charge for 100 pounds or less.

Contact the Transfer Station to setup an account for pay per pound drop off.

Trash

  • Curbside Pickup

    The City of Ellsworth contracts with Pine Tree Waste, a division of Casella, to collect solid waste from residential households. Residents have the option of contracting with a private trash collection service or bringing their trash to the transfer station. If your pick-up is missed please call Casella directly at 207-848-7551.

    If you participate in Ellsworth curbside trash collection, each bag must have a clearly visible BLUE $4 sticker attached. Any bag weighing more than 50 pounds will be refused. Put your bags at the curbside before 7am. If you live on a private road, place your bag with blue sticker at the designated areas where the private road meets the public road. If you will not be home on the morning of trash collection, take your tagged trash bags to the Ellsworth Transfer Station. Bags left out beside the road overnight are almost certain to be opened by animals. Download the PDF to see the Trash Pick Up Schedule by Street.

    City of Ellsworth pay-per-bag trash disposal stickers may be purchased at:

    • Ellsworth City Hall
    • Freshies on High Street
    • Ellsworth Transfer Station
    • Freshies Hilltop
    • Shaws
    • Josie’s Country Store and Cafe

    Pine Tree Waste (Casella) observes the following holidays:

      • New Years Day
      • Memorial Day
      • Fourth of July
      • Labor Day
      • Thanksgiving
      • Christmas

    Holiday Trash Pickup Schedule and Trash Collection Changes

    If a holiday falls on your trash day:

    • Monday holiday:
    Monday trash will be picked up on Wednesday.
    Tuesday trash stays the same.

    • Tuesday holiday:
    Monday trash stays the same.
    Tuesday trash will be picked up on Wednesday.

    We will post reminders at City Hall, the Transfer Station, online, and in the newspaper at least 7 days before any change.

  • Ellsworth Transfer Station

    The Ellsworth Transfer Station is located at 11 Industrial Road. (In the Boggy Brook Industrial Park off Route 1A, near the intersection with Christian Ridge Road. The Christian Ridge Road and Route 1A intersection is marked by the white oil storage towers.)

    Hazardous waste is only accepted during our annual Household Hazardous Waste & Universal Waste Collection event. Items not accepted at the Transfer Station may be accepted at Ellsworth Waste Services which is located just past the Ellsworth Transfer Station.

Food Composting

Keeping food scraps out of the trash can make a real difference for your household and for our community.

Through a collaborative effort involving the City of Ellsworth, Green Ellsworth’s Waste Management Action Team, Chickadee Compost, the Ellsworth School Department, Hancock County Planning Commission, and other community partners, Ellsworth is expanding food composting opportunities across the community.

Whether you want to drop off your food scraps for free, have them picked up at your curb, or participate through our schools, there are several ways to be part of the effort.

All types of food can be composted through these programs, including fruits and vegetables; bread, grains and pasta; dairy products; meat, fish and bones; coffee grounds and filters; eggshells and nut shells; and tea bags.

Please do not put plastic bags in the compost. Collect food scraps in your kitchen bucket or a paper bag instead.

CLICK HERE to read our press release from August 27, 2026 title: Ellsworth Expands Composting Options with Launch of New Transfer Station Pilot Program

  • Pilot Program – Transfer Station

    Free food scrap drop-off for Ellsworth residents

    Beginning September 2, 2026, Ellsworth residents can bring food scraps to designated compost collection bins at the City of Ellsworth Transfer Station, 11 Industrial Road, at no additional cost during regular Transfer Station hours.

    The new drop-off is a pilot program funded through the City’s $74,000 Community Action Grant and is designed to make composting simple and accessible while helping Ellsworth learn more about how a community-wide composting program could work over the long term.

    Food scraps collected through the program will be kept out of the traditional waste stream and turned into compost instead.

    During the pilot, the City and its partners will track participation, the amount of food waste diverted, program costs, and other information to help determine whether the program should continue, expand, or be modified in the future.

    Cost: FREE
    Location: Ellsworth Transfer Station, 11 Industrial Road
    Available: During regular Transfer Station hours
    Launch date: September 2, 2026

  • Food Composting – Ellsworth Schools

    Composting is growing in Ellsworth’s schools!

    Food composting was already underway at Ellsworth Elementary Middle School and is now expanding to Ellsworth High School.

    Funding through the Community Action Grant will support additional food scrap collection by Chickadee Compost as well as new collection bins. A separate grant from Hannaford has also helped the schools expand their composting efforts.

    The school pilot gives students and staff an opportunity to keep food waste out of the traditional waste stream while making sustainability part of everyday life at school.

    The program also gives the City and its partners another opportunity to learn what works as we explore long-term composting solutions for the Ellsworth community.

  • Urban Core Curbside Collection

    Let your food scraps get a ride

    For residents who would rather compost without making a trip to a drop-off location, Chickadee Compost offers optional curbside food scrap collection in select areas of Ellsworth’s urban core.

    Participants receive a compost bucket and weekly collection right at the curb for a monthly fee.

    Collection: Weekly curbside pickup
    Cost: Monthly fee
    Bucket: Free bucket provided
    Availability: Space is limited

    Visit Chickadee Compost to learn more, check availability, and sign up.

  • Neighborhood Drop-Off at Fogtown Brewing Company

    A convenient community composting option

    Ellsworth residents can also bring food scraps to the existing neighborhood compost drop-off at Fogtown Brewing Company, 25 Pine Street in Ellsworth.

    Food scraps may be dropped off during brewery hours. Look for the compost collection bins in the side lot. This neighborhood location provides another convenient option for residents who want to compost but may not regularly visit the Transfer Station. Interested in helping bring composting even closer to home? The City’s composting initiative is also exploring the possibility of additional neighborhood collection sites like this one.

    Location: Fogtown Brewing Company, 25 Pine Street
    When: During brewery hours
    Where: Compost bins are located in the side lot

  • What Can I Compost?

    YES! Please compost:

    • Fruits and vegetables
    • Bread, grains and pasta
    • Dairy products
    • Meat, fish and bones
    • Coffee grounds and filters
    • Eggshells and nut shells
    • Tea bags

    NO PLASTIC BAGS, PLEASE.

    Use your kitchen bucket or a paper bag to collect food scraps before bringing them to a drop-off location.

    Small Steps. Big Impact.

    Composting food waste reduces the amount of material sent into the waste stream, lowers greenhouse gas emissions, and creates nutrient-rich compost.

    These programs are also helping Ellsworth test different approaches … from free community drop-off to neighborhood collection, schools, and curbside service, to learn what works best for our community.

    The goal is bigger than one pilot program: make composting easier, reduce waste, and build a cleaner, more sustainable Ellsworth for the future.

Recycling

  • Recycling Center

    NOTICE: The Recycling Center at the Ellsworth Transfer Station is closed until further notice while the facility’s baler is out of service.

    The Transfer Station remains open for trash disposal.

    The same baler used for cardboard is also needed to process other recyclable materials, including newspaper and tin cans. Until the equipment can be repaired and staff have an opportunity to clear and clean the Recycling Center, we are unable to accept recyclable materials at the facility.

    More details … CLICK HERE! 

     

    The Recycling Center is located in the Ellsworth Transfer Station at 11 Industrial Road. (In the Boggy Brook Industrial Park off Route 1A, near the intersection with Christian Ridge Road. The Christian Ridge Road and Route 1A intersection is marked by the white oil storage towers.)

    Recycling Center Hours:

    Monday – Closed Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday – 12p.m. – 4:00p.m. Friday, Saturday – 8:00a.m. – 4p.m. Sunday – Closed

  • Recyclables Accepted and Not Accepted

    ALL ACCEPTED ITEMS MUST BE FREE OF DEBRIS AND ORIGINAL CONTENTS.

    ACCEPTED ITEMS

    ✅  Paper: Magazines, flyers, news print, newspaper

    ✅  Cardboard: Corrugated (EXCEPT WAX COATED)

    ✅  Plastics: #1 Plastic, #2 Plastic

    ✅  Metals: Clean Soup Cans, Clean Disposable baking pans, Clean Coffee cans, Clean Vegetable & fruit cans

    ✅  Glass: Food and beverages jars and bottles, wine & liquor bottles Click here for more details. 

    ITEMS NOT ACCEPTED

    ❌  Paper: shredded paper, office paper (plain printer paper), envelopes with windows, gift wrap, used tissues & paper towels, paperback books (no covers), telephone books

    ❌  Cardboard: wax coated

    ❌  Boxboard: Cereal Boxes, Pasta Boxes, Beer / Soda Boxes, etc.…

    ❌  Plastics: #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, plant & flower pots, PVC pipes, kids toys, grocery bags, broken trash cans & totes, coat hangers, kitty litter buckets

    ❌  Metals: Cookie sheets, Pots & pans, Coat hangers, Aerosol (any kind), Ice tea mix

    ❌  Styrofoam & Packing Peanuts: packaging materials, egg cartons, meat packaging

    ❌  Window glass, candles or jars with wax, mirrors, Pyrex, ceramics, lightbulbs  

  • Recycling Batteries

    The following locations accept batteries for recycling:

    Wal-Mart ( Small Quanities)

    • NiCad AA, AAA, C, D, & 9 VOLT Batteries
    • Cell Phone Batteries
    • Laptop Batteries
    • Digital Camera Batteries
    • Camcorder Batteries
    • Cordless Phone Batteries

    Home Depot, Inc.

    • NiCad AA, AAA, C, D, & 9 VOLT Batteries
    • Cell Phone Batteries
    • Laptop Batteries
    • Digital Camera Batteries
    • Camcorder Batteries
    • Cordless Phone Batteries
    • All Power Tool Rechargeable Batteries

    Alkaline batteries can be disposed of with regular household trash.

  • Other Community Recycling Options

    Plastic Bags/ Plastic Film:

    Hannafords, 225 High Street Ellsworth, Maine 04605
    Shaw’s , 175 High Street Ellsworth, Maine 04605

    Paint:

    Sherwin-Williams, 43 Downeast Hwy Ellsworth, Maine, 04605

    Mercury Lamps:

    Hammond Lumber, 261 State Street Ellsworth, Maine 04605

    Mercury Thermostats:

    Bangor Pipe And Supply, 55 Foster Street Ellsworth, Maine 04605

    Computer Equipment:

    Ellsworth Goodwill Store , 15 Downeast Highway Ellsworth, Maine 04605

    Textiles/Clothing:

    Ellsworth YMCA (Apparel Impact bin), 238 State Street Ellsworth, Maine 04605
    Crazy Sumo (Apparel Impact bin), 75 High Street Ellsworth, Maine 04605
    Ellsworth Marketplace (Apparel Impact bin), 100 Downeast HWY Ellsworth, ME 04605

    Electronic Waste (e-Waste)

    • Electronic Waste (e-Waste)

      e-Waste Items Accepted at the Ellsworth Transfer Station
      This is for Ellsworth residents only. For non-residents, please connect with North Star Waste and Recycling in Brewer for this information.

      • Televisions and computer monitors between 15-34 inches – $5.00 per item
      • Televisions between 35-100 inches – $10.00 per item
      • Other E-waste such as laptops, motherboards, desktop printers, fax machines, and cellphones – Free

      Not accepted as E-Waste: Fluorescent lights/lamps/light bulbs; Batteries (see Recycling Batteries tab); Freon; Large office equipment; Other large or hazardous materials.