China, which had been receiving more than half of the world's recycling, is no longer accepting most plastics and recycled paper with a contamination level above 0.5 percent as part of its "National Sword" policy. ​

Meeting this new quality specification has been almost impossible for U.S. processors. Oregon processors have been looking elsewhere, and it's costing more money.

Central Oregon Residents are asked to be more careful about what they put in recycling bins. On January first, China stopped taking most recycling from western nations, claiming recyclables were contaminated with trash and organic material. 

​KGW news reports,if the item has been on Metro's list of acceptable recyclables, it is still okay to put into the bin.

Shredded paper, egg cartons and most plastic containers now are bound for the trash in Marion County, which includes the state capital, Salem, the Seattle Times reports.

Klamath County commissioners are considering a plan to help fund a facility upgrade at REACH Inc. that would expand local recyclable processing capacity, creating seven to 10 jobs. 

Due to a lack of local hog fuel wood fiber users, the McFarlane’s Bark Vancouver and Milwaukie yards will no longer accept wood waste materials, pallets, construction wood, mill-cut wood, and commercially-cut wood as of Sunday, April 1, 2018. 

They will continue accepting land clearing debris, trees, stumps, grass, leaves, and yard debris.   

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.

Industry Experts Weigh In on the Proposed Infrastructure Plan - from Waste 360

Plastics Association Sees Success With Recycling Program - from Associations Now

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.