Department of Environmental Quality – Updating Oregon’s Recycling Systems Project

Recycling bales
Photo: Blahedo, Wikimedia Commons.

Starting in October 2017, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) hosted meetings with local governments, recycling collectors, recycling processors, and industry representatives to address short-term responses to China’s 2018 ban on the import of certain recyclables from the United States. In May 2018, DEQ launched a longer-term planning process with a convening of these representative players to look at how to modernize Oregon’s recycling system to meet DEQ’s 2050 Vision for Materials Management goals, specifically focusing on legal and relational frameworks and physical infrastructure. Oregon Consensus facilitated the statewide steering committee process, which resulted in recommendations for a comprehensive plan for Oregon’s recycling system.

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Oregon Public Broadcasting article: “Oregon wants companies to help pay for a new recycling system.”