Oregon News

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 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!

As many of you know, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association have been engaged in heated contract negotiations since May 2014. The dispute has caused major delays in cargo shipments along the West Coast, including those carrying recycled materials.

Starting this January, a partnership between Greener Grads and Oregon Green Schools aims to reuse, repurpose, and recycle gently used graduation gowns across the state.

Thanks to efforts in Oregon to recover materials for recycling, composting, and burning for energy, the state continues to see sizable energy savings and greenhouse gas reductions. At the same time, per-capita waste generation in Oregon is 18.6 percent below 1992 levels.

As of Jan 1, 2015, Oregon E-Cycles, the state's electronics recycling program collects printers and computer peripherals (keyboards and mice) in addition to computers, monitors, and TVs. The program, administered by AOR member the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), just completed its sixth year of collecting and recycling electronics.