Oregon News

COVID-19 damages supply chain for deposit materials

15 Apr 2020

Stay-at-home orders are hitting container deposit systems hard, leading to significant declines in the volumes of high-quality recyclables moving to material processors.

Eight out of the 10 states with container redemption systems have enacted temporary measures limiting deposit returns in some way. The fallout for recycled material processors has been expansive.

With less material coming in, companies are shouldering higher costs as they scramble to supply their customers and adapt to the fast-changing landscape. In other cases, they’re curtailing operations temporarily.

New Grant Opportunity for Repair and Reuse Businesses Open on March 30

30 Mar 2020

DEQ’s Materials Management Workforce Development grants for repair and reuse businesses are accepting applications now through May 8th. Grants will support repair and reuse activities.  DEQ is seeking proposals for projects that will extend the lifespan of products and materials already in circulation through reuse, repair, salvaging, refurbishment or remanufacturing (together referred to as “reuse and repair”).

Bottle Bill Reprieve for Retailers Extended

27 Mar 2020

Agency Continuing Halt of Enforcement of Redemption Requirements until April 30

Portland, OR -- The Oregon Liquor Control Commission will extend its non-enforcement posture with Oregon retailers that choose not to accept empty beverage containers for redemption because of continuing pandemic-related staffing concerns for grocers and supermarkets. The enforcement suspension will now stay in effect until April 30, 2020; if stores don’t take back empty beverage containers during the temporary period the OLCC will not issue them a notice of violation.

Widmer Brewing joins the TerraCycle Zero Waste Box program

10 Feb 2020

Brewers Collective, the craft business unit of Anheuser-Busch, announced a national partnership with innovative recycling company TerraCycle to promote the proper recycling of personal protective equipment (PPE). Brewers Collective has installed TerraCycle Zero Waste Boxes, specially intended for single-use masks and gloves, at 18 craft breweries across the U.S. Once the boxes are filled, they will be returned to TerraCycle for recycling.

Oregon's Single-Use Bag Law & FAQ

8 Jan 2020

What is it?
House Bill (HB) 2509, passed in the 2019 Oregon legislative session, prohibits retail stores and restaurants from providing single-use checkout bags to customers, and places restrictions on other checkout bags they may provide. The ban went into effect on January 1, 2020.

After that, a retail store or restaurant may provide only reusable or recycled paper checkout bags to customers. In certain cases, they must charge a fee to customers for providing the bag.

Oregon Climate Peer Exchange - October 16th

8 Oct 2019

DEQ is partnering with The Good Company, a Eugene-based sustainability consulting firm, to host a statewide peer exchange workshop on Oct. 16 addressing consumption-based greenhouse gas emissions. Over 50 local government staff and allies will gather to discuss local climate action planning tools and techniques, with a focus on actions targeting carbon-intensive consumption activities such as housing, food and transportation. Participating cities include Portland, Beaverton, Eugene, Bend, Mosier and Sisters.

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