The 2021 Legislative Session is one of the busiest in recent memory. There are several pieces of legislation that AOR's Legislative Committee has already made recommendations on to the AOR Board. As of today, here is the list of bills that AOR will support or oppose. This is only a partial list of proposed legislation that impact our industry this session. The AOR Legislative Committee will continue to monitor other bills and provide additional recommendations as those bills make their way through committees througout the session.

Support 

“America’s Plastic Makers are helping lead the way toward ending plastic waste by investing, innovating, and driving policies that treat used plastics as a resource for making new products. One of the reasons plastics are so widely used in packaging is that they allow us to do more with less, which inherently reduces waste and carbon emissions, an increasingly important factor as we collectively work to address climate change.

Cleanup Program in Portland, OR Neighborhood Means WCleanup Program in PortlanThe Cigarette Waste Recycling Program, an initiative by the Pearl District Neighborhood Association, was started by Dave Mitchell. “The program is designed to collect as many cigarette butts as we can, using 65 receptacles that are attached to parking poles,” explained Mitchell. He put up cigarette disposal boxes around the neighborhood in 2019 where smokers can safely discard the waste.

Congratulations to AOR member Alando Simpson, CEO and owner of City of Roses Disposal & Recycling (COR), who was named a "Building Diversity Honoree" by the Daily Journal of Commerce. COR is a certified B-Corp with a diverse workforce and is the first waste company in the United States fully owned by African-Americans. The Building Diversity Awards honor disadvantaged, minority-owned, women-owned, emerging small businesses, and combat-disabled veteran-owned firms as well as the public agencies, organizations, and large private companies that support them.

Some changes for the better are coming to the recycling center in Enterprise, courtesy of the new Wallowa County Recycling Task Force.

On Monday, July 13, the volunteer group posted new, informative signs to help “customers” sort recyclables into the correct bins. The group has developed an informative brochure. They will have volunteer “recycling coaches” at the center during July to answer questions and provide assistance. And best of all, there will be prizes and prize drawings for recyclers.

AOR member, Tigard, Oregon-based Agilyx Corp., which chemically recycles plastics into chemical intermediates, fuels and virgin-like plastics, has announced that it is leveraging its existing plastic feedstock management system to create a new subsidiary company Cyclyx International Inc. The new company will help to develop new supply chains that will aggregate and preprocess larger volumes of postuse plastics than current systems can support, Agilyx says.

On Friday, July 24, DEQ will open its 2020 Materials Management grants round for projects that reduce impacts across the full cycle of materials and products.

Nike started selling sneakers from its new Space Hippie collection. The footwear is constructed from factory and post-consumer waste that the sportswear company calls “space junk.” Space Hippie consists of four different silhouettes: 01, 02, 03, and 04. Nike’s manufacturing process for the footwear uses around 85–90% recycled polyester yarn, recycled foam, and a blended “Crater foam.” The result is a design that has a low carbon footprint, the company said.

Nine Wallowa County citizens are riding to the rescue of Wallowa County’s troubled, financially strapped recycling center. Led by Peter Ferre and Randi Jandt, the newly-organized Wallowa County Recycling Task Force (WCRTF) has offered to help the county optimize its return on recycled materials, and also provide better signage and community education, as well as volunteers to provide help and guidance for county residents when they bring materials to recycle.

Red Rock Ag Products LLC, a Vale-based company, received $25,000 for a project to recycle drip tape in mass quantities. The company intends to establish and operate a recycling plant in the Treasure Valley; an initial location was scouted at an empty warehouse in southwest Ontario.

The warehouse will employ up to 12 people. Red Rock estimates the project will cost $705,900.

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