In 2012, Oregon's Environmental Quality Commission adopted Materials Management in Oregon: 2050 Vision and Framework for Action. This month, the Oregon legislature adopted SB 245 and SB 263. SB 263 was signed by Governor Brown on June 22 and SB 245 will be headed to the Governor’s desk for signature in the coming days.

AOR held its annual elections on June 5 at Sustainable Oregon 2015, AOR's 37th annual conference and trade show, in Bend, OR.

Each year, AOR selects individuals and organizations who have distinguished themselves by their exceptional contributions to recycling and waste prevention efforts in the Northwest to receive Recycler of the Year awards.

BRING’s board of directors has named Carolyn Stein as the organization’s new executive director, replacing Julie Daniel who retired at the end of May.

What has the AOR Board been up to this past year and where should we direct our attentions this upcoming year? These questions are the central focus of the AOR: The Year in Review conference session next week in Bend.

All of AOR's Board members, plus our lobbyist, will deliver short presentations on a wide range of AOR's activities in the past year. Here's a sneak peek at what we'll be talking about:

AOR member Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative launched a new ad campaign for the Bottle Bill, "Small Deposit, Big Return," that features some familiar faces, including Betty Patton - AOR Member, Recycling Advocates President, and former AOR Resource Director!

AOR will hold board elections at the annual member meeting at Sustainable Oregon 2015 during lunch on Thursday, June 4. Several positions are up for election: Education Chair, Legislative Chair, Markets Chair, and Treasurer.

Starting in October, AOR will incorporate a new process for renewing memberships. It’s easy to forget when dues are up and it takes a lot of time reminding members of expired dues. In the fall we'll be rolling out a better way for membership renewal. All AOR members will have their membership due in October.