Senate Bill 582 modernizes recycling system in Oregon Consensus Project
In January 2018, the Chinese government banned the import of certain plastic and paper grades and set tighter contamination standards for paper. The loss of China’s markets disrupted recycling systems worldwide. In Oregon, communities had to make changes to their recycling collection programs, which included: increasing customer rates, suspending recycling, or removing items from programs. In some cases, materials that were collected for recycling were sent to landfills. In May 2018, the Department of Environmental Quality formed the Recycling Steering Committee, facilitated by Oregon Consensus, with the intention of working with stakeholders to modernize Oregon’s recycling systems. The committee met from May 2018 through September 2020. Senate Bill 582 is a victory for this monumental and unprecedented effort. It makes significant changes to Oregon's recycling system that include requiring that covered producers become members of a producer responsibility organization, which ensures that products collected are recycled by responsible end markets. It also establishes statewide recycling rates for plastic and recycling contamination reduction goals; addresses the development and implementation of educational resources and promotional campaigns; and establishes a Truth-in-Labeling Task Force to study and evaluate misleading or confusing claims made on a product regarding recyclability of the product.