Oregon, USA introduces new statewide recycling rules to combat plastic waste

A new law in the US state of Oregon incentivizes manufacturing companies to produce lighter and more easily recyclable materials. The goal is to improve recycling statewide but particularly to reduce the amount of plastic being produced and wasted:

The Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act will go into effect July 1, 2025, making it easier for Oregonians to recycle. It will establish new packaging fees for companies selling products in Oregon, based on the weight and recyclability of the material.

Hard-to-recycle materials, such as plastics, will command higher fees from companies than products that are easily recycled, ideally incentivizing producers to choose lighter, more sustainable materials.

The extra packaging fees will go toward further recycling initiatives:

The rules also give authority to collect and invest some new packaging fees to the Circular Action Alliance, or CCA, a nonprofit based in Washington D.C. Local governments and the alliance will be in charge of reinvesting fees in projects that improve Oregon’s recycling infrastructure.

On the consumer side, residents will receive a standardized list of what exactly can and cannot be recycled:

Under Oregon’s new rules, environmental officials will release a standardized list of items that can be recycled across the state beginning this summer. Owners and managers of multi-family buildings, such as duplexes and apartment buildings, will also need to eventually provide recycling services for residents.

Related legislation:

This follows regulations in Oregon in recent years that require manufacturers to pick up some of the end-of-life costs of paint, mattresses and electronics, or to invest in programs to recycle such products.

Two other bills passed in Oregon in 2023 will require manufacturers to label products to indicate whether and where they can be recycled in Oregon and ban the use of styrofoam containers for takeout food. The latter, Senate Bill 543, will go into effect in January. Rules under Senate Bill 123, the Smart Labeling Bill, must be finalized by 2027.

Hopefully this will increase the amount of plastic being recycled from 9% nationwide to something higher.

I like this legislation because it doesn't just encourage consumers to recycle more (a Sisyphean and inefficient solution), but instead targets manufacturers in a way that makes it structurally less economical to produce environmentally harmful plastics. Ultimately, manufacturers will pass on the higher fees to businesses and consumers. Businesses and consumers will end up choosing (on average) the lighter/more recyclable materials because they will be comparatively cheaper.

While I favor outright bans of many plastic products, I also find it acceptable to phase them out economically, as long as it's done fairly quickly. I think more legislation like this is needed elsewhere in the country and around the world. I also think it has to be implemented faster.