Oregon Plans To Modernize Its Recycling Program

Oregon lawmakers are considering House Bill 2065, which is designed to restructure the state’s recycling system.

HB 2065 seeks to reinvent Oregon's recycling system and return some of the recycling responsibility onto producers and manufacturers.

The National Law Review reports that Oregon’s new recycling programs could change the way manufacturers and producers package their products.

To increase the ease of recycling, the Bill prohibits the use of misleading recycling labels on products sold in Oregon. Clear labeling will help decrease the commingling of recyclable products and waste, which can lower costs and minimize landfill waste. It also establishes a consistent statewide recycling collection list, making it easier for both the public and recyclers to collect, sort, and process products across the entire state.

HB 2065 should make recycling easier for the public, expand access to recycling services, and update sorting facilities.

If passed, the Bill will require certain producers to join, pay fees, and provide information to a producer responsibility organization (PRO).

On their part, PROs would have to support the recycling of covered products, provide the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality with a producer responsibility plan, and pay a fee for any covered product that it sells in Oregon.

Oregon is one of few states, along with Maine and New York, that provides model legislation that includes Extended Producer Responsibility requirements.