Recycling has been the subject of many negative headlines over the past two years: “The World’s Recycling is in Chaos;” “RIP: Recycling is Dead as We Know It;” “Recycling is a Waste.” The list goes on. Of the communities surveyed in The Recycling Partnership’s 2019 “The State of Curbside Recycling” report, more than 50 have canceled their recycling programs, and 29 percent have stopped collecting certain items.

The scope and scale of the food waste challenge in America is daunting. Recognizing the gravity,  the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, through its EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge  program, is encouraging and empowering local programs to craft local solutions to this pervasive problem. EPA is incentivizing participation in the program by showcasing local food waste prevention champions, both nationally and regionally.

California and Oregon recently reported lower statewide diversion rates, a trend that’s been ongoing for multiple years in both states.

Given the latest results, California will fall short of its 75% recycling rate goal for 2020, state officials acknowledged in their recent report.

In 2018, the Beaver State notched a 40.8% recovery rate, down from 41.6% in 2017, according to an April report from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

Republic Services, Rogue Disposal & Recycling, and Southern Oregon Sanitation announced today that the will begin recycling number one and two plastic bottles and jugs.

The three local waste management companies will now be accepting the items in curbside recycling carts and at local recycle depots.

Continue Reading at KTLV.

May 31 is Latest Extension to the Halt of Enforcement of Redemption Requirements

April 23, 2020

Portland, Oregon-based Agilyx Corp., a company focused on chemically recycling postuse plastics back into polymers, chemicals and low carbon fuels, has announced that it has licensed its technology to Japan-based Toyo Styrene Co. Ltd., an affiliate of Denka Company Ltd. 

According to a news release from Agilyx, the site technology license agreement enables Toyo Styrene to deploy the Agilyx technology near Toyo Styrene’s facility in the Chiba Prefecture of Japan. The facility will focus on recycling postuse polystyrene (PS) back to styrene monomer.

The Willamette Falls Paper Company — formerly West Linn Paper Co. — has endured global crises before, including two world wars and the Great Depression.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, which has turned much of the global economy on its head, the industrious crew at the 130-year-old paper mill is looking to the future.

Continue Reading at the West Linn Tidings

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.

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”).

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.