The state's new recycling rules aim to reduce packaging waste, hold producers accountable and make recycling easier statewide starting in 2025.
Alex Baumhardt reports for Oregon Capital Chronicle.
In short:
- Oregon’s Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act will require companies to pay fees based on the weight and recyclability of their packaging, incentivizing sustainable materials.
- The rules, effective July 1, 2025, will create a standardized statewide recycling list and mandate recycling services for multi-unit housing.
- Oregon joins other states like California and Maine in adopting policies requiring producers to share responsibility for waste and invest in recycling infrastructure.
Key quote:
“Part of the goal is to move companies into more recyclable materials. There is a cost to packaging that needs to be internalized.”
— Sen. Michael Dembrow, Oregon legislator
Why this matters:
Oregon's approach has the potential to chip away at the mountains of plastic polluting landfills and waterways while encouraging innovation in packaging design. Read more: Recycling plastics “extremely problematic” due to toxic chemical additives.
