A recent online Metro News article by Metro staffer Gia Ballash put forth some great news: On July 1 this year, Oregon became the first state to implement an extended law for companies that produce and manufacture packaged items, paper products, and food serviceware. It will require these brands to pay into the recycling system and ensure their products are recycled responsibly, all while improving recycling services across the state.
This new Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act — often referred to as the Recycling Modernization Act — is a significant milestone for Oregon. The waste from paper and plastic packaging materials can feel unavoidable. The new law aims to incentivize brands to find less wasteful solutions by requiring them to pay fees based on the type and quantity of materials they use to package their products.
For now, recycling will stay mostly the same for people in the greater Portland area. But there are some new items that can go into recycling, and some items have smaller minimum sizes:
- Plastic screw-on caps can stay on emptied containers (“If it screws on, it can stay on.”), the lids that press onto plastic containers still go in the garbage (“If it pops off, it stays off.”), and loose caps go in the garbage.
- Pizza boxes are allowed as long as there are no leftover food scraps and grease residue is minimal. Paper liners from pizza boxes go in the garbage.
- Paperback books are allowed, although donating them instead is recommended!
- Plastic bottles, tubs, round containers, and jugs must be at least 2 inches by 2 inches in size. This is a decrease in size.
- Scrap metal must be less than 18 inches long and weigh less than 10 pounds. This allows for more types of scrap metal.
The Recycling Modernization Act (tinyurl.com/5n6zr5vd) will take several more years to implement, and many improvements will happen behind the scenes, like upgrades to recycling facilities and expanded recycling access in rural parts of Oregon.
Although it will take time for greater Portland to see significant changes, there’s a lot to look forward to. In just a few years, there will be places for people to drop off additional packaging materials for recycling.
Liz Erickson has lived in the neighborhood with her husband and two children since 2009. Growing up in Beaverton, she remembers visiting grandparents on NE 42nd and walking to Rose’s Ice Cream for a scoop of butter brickle. Liz is a Master Recycler volunteer with Metro and served in the Peace Corps in Morocco.