Already a Member? Sign In
Tackling community issues. Celebrating local voices.
Oregon’s recycling landscape is undergoing its biggest transformation in years, starting July 1. The Recycling Modernization Act passed in 2021, and once it takes effect, it will significantly shift what people can recycle and how, both in Lane County and across the state. Here’s what you need to know about the changes:
The key message
Plastic:
Acceptable plastic bottles, jugs, and tubs are containers from products used in the laundry, kitchen, or bath. Shampoo, laundry soap, and home-cleaning products are OK, but not plastic from the garage or yard — no yard chemical jugs or motor oil jugs, for instance.
- #1 bottles, jars, and jugs
- Clear, transparent blue, and transparent green only
- #2 and #5 bottles, jars, and jugs
- All colors and no color (clear)
- Includes caps if threaded back on
- Excludes items less than 2 inches in two directions
- #1, #2, and #5 tubs
- Excludes food serviceware
- Excludes items less than 2 inches in two directions
- Excludes flat lids
- #2 and #5 buckets, nursery plant containers, and pails
- While there is no upper size limit defined in the rule, these items need to fit easily into the bin.
Metal:
- Aluminum and steel cans and scrap metal
- Less than 10 pounds or 18 inches
- No cords, wires, or sharp items
- No aluminum foil, pressed foil products, or aerosol cans
Cardboard and cartons:
- Food and beverage cartons (milk cartons, aseptic soup boxes)
- Flattened cardboard, packaging boxes
- Delivery pizza boxes (must be empty with no food residue)
Paper:
- Newspaper, magazines, mail
- Cereal and cracker boxes, egg cartons
- Office paper, paperback books, paper bags
- Nonmetallic gift wrap
- Boxes from frozen and refrigerated foods are excluded
Glass is always recycled separately. The items shown below are recyclable under the new system as of July 1:
Why are these changes happening now?
The Recycling Modernization Act was passed in 2021, but it took years to implement due to the complexity of developing a comprehensive new recycling system.
The heart of the new law shifts responsibility to the producers who create packaging. Under the act, producers of packaging materials sold in Oregon must pay into a fund that supports recycling infrastructure, transportation, and fair wages for workers…