AOR-member Agilyx will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of their Tigard, Oregon polystyrene-to-styrene oil plant on April 19, 2018 at 10am. The ribbon-cutting will launch a week of celebrations, including plant tours by invitation from April 24-26, 2018. The plant is the first commercial-scale closed-loop chemical recycling process for polystyrene in the world.

China's National Sword policy is particularly affecting Southern Oregon recycling programs. Here's a round-up of news articles on this issue: 

​​Curbside Recycling Pickup Under Threat in Oregon Communities (A review of what's happening with recycling programs in Southern Oregon.) - from WRAL.com

China's recent decision to no longer accept post-consumer plastics has left local recyclers facing a serious challenge.

Oregon currently doesn't have a facility designed to separate plastics from the other materials collected.

Denton Plastics in Northeast Portland accepts plastics, but the material comes in separated from commercial and industrial sources, like grocery chains and nurseries.

In response to China's recent policies restricting the amount of contamination in recyclables it accepts, Coos County has reduced its contamination in its recycling by 85 percent in just two months.

Last fall, Manzanita became the fifth city in the state (joining Portland, Corvallis, Eugene, and McMinnville) and the first on the Oregon Coast to ban single-use plastic carryout bags. The Manzanita City Council voted unanimously to pass the ordinance in an effort to reduce plastic debris on beaches and in the Pacific Ocean.

As vendors across Oregon curb their recycling services, Milton-Freewater residents will no longer be able to recycle materials at their curbs.

City Manager Linda Hall said the city needed to make the transition when Milton-Freewater’s recycling contractor — Horizon Project Inc. — told city officials that the organization could no longer afford to provide recycling services.

NFL announces zero waste plan for Super Bowl - from Construction and Demolition Recycling

Elizabeth Hovde: Recycling efforts should match our talk (Opinion) - from Oregonlive.com

Metro approved final administrative rules, effective March 1, 2018, to guide the licensing and inspection of facilities that receive source-separated recyclable materials as well as some facilities that convert waste to energy or fuel.

Read more at Metro

From the NWPSC December 2017 Newsletter:

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