AOR Forum

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AOR’s Fall Forum – Dec 3-4, 2025 at the Portland Crowne Plaza!

Join us for two days of workshops, insights, and planning to strengthen local recycling programs Dec 3-4, 2025 at the Crowne Plaza Portland - Downtown Convention Center (1441 NE 2nd Ave, Portland, OR 97232).

Registration closes Monday, Dec 1 at noon.

REGISTER HERE

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Thank You to Our Sponsors

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Agenda

Day 1: Wednesday, Dec 3, 2025, 9am - 5pm, (breakfast & lunch provided, with light reception to follow)

A full-day interactive behavior change workshop led by The Recycling Partnership, where attendees will gain tools, strategies, and insights to increase participation and capture through proven, community-based approaches. Topics will include:

• Key insights from The Recycling Partnership’s foundational behavior research
• A framework recipe for creating accurate, frequent, and sustained public participation in residential recycling
• Proven and emerging contamination reduction tactics
• Leveraging EPR funding to optimize local recycling programs

DRAFT Agenda

9:00am-12:30pm: Morning Session 

• Opening and Introduction
  Why behavior change matters in Oregon at this moment (Jill Martin and Dan Leif, The Recycling Partnership)
• Activity 
  Warm Up: Putting on our Behavior Change Lenses
• Foundational Insights
  An overview of The Recycling Partnership’s fundamental research into residents’ beliefs, barriers, and recycling behaviors at the household level (Michelle Metzler, The Recycling Partnership)
• Introducing the Framework
  The Recycling Partnership’s Recipe for Community Engagement to create accurate, frequent, and sustained public participation in residential recycling (Emily Krueger, The Recycling Partnership)
• 20-Minute Break
• Activating the Recipe for Community Engagement
  A detailed explanation of each ingredient of the Recipe, including supporting research, common barriers to success, and tactic-based solutions (Taylor Sorenson and Emily Krueger, The Recycling Partnership)

12:30pm-1:30pm Networking Lunch (provided)

1:30pm-5:00pm Afternoon Session

• Activity
  Using Recipe Lenses to Evaluate Your Program
• Community Panel with Q&A
  A panel of Community program leaders that will highlight the unique perspectives, challenges, and solutions to driving recycling behavior change in the Pacific Northwest (Moderated by Dan Leif, The Recycling Partnership)
• 15-Minute Break
• The Recipe, Applied in the Real World
  An overview of The Recycling Partnership’s recent work with the community of Kalamazoo, MI to strengthen recycling infrastructure, cut contamination, boost participation, and expand multifamily recycling (Samantha Longshore, The Recycling Partnership)
• Activity 
  Reflect & Identify Actions for Now, Next, Later
• Q&A Closing 
  Recap key themes and reflect on training

Hear from Circular Action Alliance (CAA) and Oregon DEQ on how to:

• Access and apply CAA’s Oregon Audit Center data
• Comply with new requirements to conduct contamination reduction programming and tap into contamination reduction funding from CAA
• Plan effective outreach and education for 2026
• Expand system capacity and use the right materials at the right time
• Get a preview of upcoming legislative activity

DRAFT Agenda

9:20am-9:30am: Welcome

9:30am-10:30am: Contamination: How Big is the Problem?

• Highlights from the final 2023 Statewide Waste Composition Analysis (Peter Spendelow, DEQ)
• Accessing and using CAA’s Oregon Audit Center data (CAA)
• Q&A

10:30am-10:45am: Break

10:45am-12:00pm: Contamination Reduction Programming

• Requirements, approved elements, OTR process (Arianne Sperry and Colin Teem, DEQ)
• Funding and addendum (CAA)
• Q&A

12:00pm-1:30pm: Networking Lunch

1:30pm-2:30pm Contamination Reduction Programming Around the State (Moderated by DEQ)

• Lincoln County (Aimee Thompson and Lexi Howell)
• City of Eugene (Emilie Krackow)
• Deschutes County (Tim Brownell)

2:30pm-3:15pm: Planning Effective Education and Outreach (CAA)

• Review of the materials available
• Using the right materials at the right time during system changes
• Activity: What’s working? What’s not?

3:15pm-3:30pm: Break

3:30pm-3:45pm: Legislative Updates (AOR)

3:45pm-4:00pm: Wrap Up

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PRICING

AOR Members
Day 1 only: $50
Day 2 only: $135
Both days: $165

Nonmembers
Day 1 only: $75
Day 2 only: $195
Both days: $250

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HOTEL

Rooms are available for $119/night + taxes/fees until Tuesday, Nov 11, 2025.

Attendees may make reservations online here. 

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SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE

The Recycling Partnership is generously offering a limited number of scholarships to support participation in their workshop. Scholarships may cover registration, hotel, mileage, flights, and can be used to attend both days of AOR’s Fall Forum. Availability is limited, with priority given to nonprofit organizations and local or state government agencies based in Oregon.

*Please note: The Partnership aims to foster a variety of perspectives and may prioritize scholarship support for those facing greater barriers to attend.

Application Deadline: Nov 14, 2025
Scholarship Notifications: Nov 18, 2025
Registration Deadline (to be eligible for receiving a scholarship): Nov 25, 2025

APPLY HERE

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SEEKING SPONSORS

Sponsorship opportunities are available for AOR’s 2025 Fall Forum! Sponsorship offers valuable visibility and a chance to demonstrate your organization’s leadership in advancing recycling and materials management.

SPONSOR THE FORUM