New recycling rules approved

Starting this summer, Oregonians across the state will begin to receive a standardized list of what can and cannot be recycled statewide, and owners and managers of apartment complexes and multi-unit housing will need to prepare to provide recycling for residents. 

These are among new rules around recycling finalized Friday by Oregon’s Environmental Quality Commission following four years of negotiation and planning. The Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act will go into effect July 1, 2025, making it easier for Oregonians to recycle. It will establish new packaging fees for companies selling products in Oregon, based on the weight and recyclability of the material. 

Hard-to-recycle materials, such as plastics, will command higher fees from companies than products that are easily recycled, ideally incentivizing producers to choose lighter, more sustainable materials. This follows regulations in Oregon in recent years that require manufacturers to pick up some of the end-of-life costs of paint, mattresses, and electronics, or to invest in programs to recycle such products. 

“Part of the goal is to move companies into more recyclable materials. There is a cost to packaging that needs to be internalized,” said Sen. Michael Dembrow, who championed the Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act in the legislature in 2021. 

The rules also give authority to collect and invest some new packaging fees to the Circular Action Alliance, or CCA, a nonprofit based in Washington D.C. Local governments and the alliance will be in charge of re-investing fees in projects that improve Oregon’s recycling infrastructure. The alliance was formed in 2022 by 20 multinational corporations in the food, beverage, retail, and consumer goods industries.