Omar Khalid
Oregon has long prided itself on its commitment to recycling and environmental stewardship. In 1971, it became the first state to pass a bottle bill to reduce litter and conserve resources. In the decades since, Oregon has continued to expand and improve access to recycling. However, in recent years, changes in consumer products and packaging have made it more challenging to recycle effectively, particularly with the surge in plastic production and use. To address these challenges, Oregon passed the Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act in 2021, which aims to modernize the state's recycling system, ensure responsible end markets for recyclables, and increase producer responsibility. While the new law won't take effect until July 1, 2025, Oregonians can continue to recycle various plastics, including bottles, jars, containers, and bags, through curbside programs and dedicated centres.
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What You'll Learn
- Plastic bottles, jars, jugs, and buckets can be recycled at home
- Plastic bags cannot be recycled at the curb but can be returned to stores
- Plastic containers with deposits, such as beverage containers, can be recycled
- Rigid plastic containers can be recycled
- Plastic items with certain labels, such as PLA, degradable, or oxy-degradable, are considered garbage
Plastic bottles, jars, jugs, and buckets can be recycled at home
When recycling plastic at home, it is important to ensure that the items are clean and dry. Plastic bottles and jars with a screw-top lid or a neck narrower than the base can be recycled. This includes containers with threaded necks for screw-on lids that are wider at the rim than the base. Examples are milk jugs, peanut butter jars, and bottles that held personal care and cleaning products such as shampoo and laundry soap. Round plastic containers that can hold 6 ounces or more are also recyclable. These typically contain products like salsa, margarine, cottage cheese, or hummus.
It is important to note that lids should not be recycled with plastic containers as they are too small or too flat to be sorted out and can end up contaminating paper at paper mills. Plastic bags should also not be recycled with other plastics at the curb as they can get caught in the machinery and cause issues. Instead, take them back to stores or drop them off at recycling centers, where they are collected separately.
Other recyclable plastics include clean polystyrene food containers, such as clamshells, egg cartons, meat trays, and take-out containers. Beverage containers with a deposit, purchased in Oregon, can also be recycled. This includes containers between 4 ounces and 1.5 liters that held prepared coffee or tea, energy and sports drinks, carbonated soft drinks, hard cider, beer, water, or juice.
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Plastic bags cannot be recycled at the curb but can be returned to stores
Plastic bags cannot be recycled at the curb in Oregon, but they can be returned to stores or dropped off at recycling centres. This is because plastic bags are a serious problem for recycling facilities—they get caught in machinery, causing costly shutdowns of sorting lines to cut the bags out of the equipment.
In Oregon, plastic bottles, jars, round containers, buckets, and nursery pots can be recycled at home. However, plastic bags must be handled separately. If you have plastic bags to recycle, take them back to stores that provide recycling drop-off services or find a local recycling centre that accepts them.
It is important to note that not all plastics are recyclable. Some plastic materials that cannot be recycled at home may be accepted by recycling businesses in greater Portland. When in doubt, it is recommended to find out the proper disposal method or throw the item out to avoid contamination in the recycling system.
Oregon has a strong commitment to recycling and environmental stewardship. The state was the first to pass a bottle bill in 1971 and has continued to expand and improve access to recycling over the years. In 2021, Oregon passed the Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act to further enhance its recycling system and ensure responsible end markets for recyclables.
To find specific locations for recycling plastic bags in Oregon, it is advisable to search for local stores or recycling centres that accept them and properly dispose of or recycle your plastic bags there.
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Plastic containers with deposits, such as beverage containers, can be recycled
There are several options for recycling plastic containers with deposits in Oregon. One option is to take them to a BottleDrop location, which is Oregon's bottle and can return program. BottleDrop offers 27 locations with Customer Service desks and Hand Count services, where you can have up to 50 containers hand-counted per day and receive a cash refund. Another option is to participate in the Green Bag Program, where you can drop off full bags of containers for redemption at a Redemption Center or participating retailer with a bag drop door. You can also create an account and fill designated bags with empty containers through the redemption operator OBRC, which will be collected and taken to a processing center, and the refund value will be credited to your account.
It is important to note that not all plastic containers are accepted for recycling. For example, plastic bags cannot be recycled at the curb because they can cause costly shut-downs of sorting lines when they get caught in the machinery. Plastic bags can be returned to stores or dropped off at recycling centers, where they are collected separately from other plastics. Additionally, any plastic containers that have contained hazardous materials, such as motor oil, pesticides, or herbicides, should not be placed in commingled recycling bins.
When recycling plastic containers with deposits in Oregon, it is important to check the specific requirements of the recycler, as some may have size or type restrictions. It is also recommended to ensure that all containers are clean and dry before recycling.
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Rigid plastic containers can be recycled
In Oregon, rigid plastic containers can be recycled. A rigid plastic container is defined as a plastic bottle, jar, cup, tub, pail, "clamshell" container, or other plastic container that meets specific criteria. These containers typically have a volume of not less than eight fluid ounces and not more than five gallons. They are designed to maintain their shape, whether empty or full, and are independent of any product they may contain or external support. Plastic tubes and blister packs are excluded from this definition.
Lids and caps are generally not considered part of a rigid plastic container unless they are designed to be permanently attached or meet the same criteria as the container. It is important to note that the determination of whether a container is considered "rigid" is based solely on the characteristics of the container itself and not on any additional packaging or materials used.
In Oregon, you can recycle plastic bottles, jars, round containers, buckets, and nursery pots at home. Curbside recycling services are usually included in the cost of garbage collection. However, it is important to check with your local recycling program to ensure that rigid plastic containers are accepted.
Additionally, some specific types of rigid plastic containers may have separate recycling instructions. For example, plastic bags should not be recycled at the curb due to the risk of contamination in recycling facilities. Instead, take them back to stores or drop them off at recycling centres. Similarly, plastic bottles that have contained hazardous materials, such as motor oil, pesticides, or cleaning products, may have special disposal instructions.
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Plastic items with certain labels, such as PLA, degradable, or oxy-degradable, are considered garbage
In Oregon, plastic bottles, jars, round containers, buckets, and nursery pots can be recycled at home. Plastic bags, on the other hand, cannot be recycled at the curb. They need to be taken back to stores or dropped off at recycling centres. Bottles that have contained hazardous materials such as motor oil, pesticides, herbicides, and cleaning products can also be recycled.
When it comes to plastic items with certain labels, it's important to understand their implications for recycling and waste management. Plastic items labelled as "PLA", "degradable", or "oxy-degradable" may not always be recyclable or biodegradable in the way you think. PLA (polylactic acid) is a type of plastic derived from renewable sources, often used in 3D printing, and while it degrades faster than conventional plastics and has fewer petroleum-based components, it is not truly biodegradable or recyclable. Some sources suggest that incineration at extremely high temperatures can be used to dispose of PLA, but this requires specialised equipment to avoid toxic by-products.
The terms "degradable" and "biodegradable" on plastic items can be misleading. Biodegradable plastics are designed to break down into their organic constituents, but this usually requires specific conditions, such as higher temperatures, pressure, and nutrient concentrations found only in industrial composting plants. If these plastics end up in landfills, rivers, or oceans instead of specialised facilities, they can contribute to the problem of plastic pollution by breaking down into microplastics that are not easily biodegradable.
Compostable plastics are similar to biodegradable plastics in that they can completely decompose, but they, too, require specific conditions for composting, such as aerobic or anaerobic environments, that may not be met in typical waste disposal contexts. Additionally, not all compostable plastics are biodegradable, and some may only begin to degrade under specific composting conditions. As a result, these plastics may still end up in landfills, contributing to waste accumulation and environmental harm.
In summary, while plastic items with labels like PLA, degradable, or oxy-degradable may seem environmentally friendly, they are often not accepted by standard recycling programmes and may require specialised disposal methods to avoid negative environmental consequences. It's important to separate these plastics from your regular recycling and dispose of them appropriately to ensure they don't contribute to pollution or landfill accumulation.
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Frequently asked questions
You can recycle plastic bottles, jars, round containers, buckets, and nursery pots at home.
Plastic bags, bottles that contained hazardous materials such as motor oil, and clean polystyrene food containers can be recycled at a recycling center.
Plastics labeled PLA, degradable, or oxy-degradable, and plastic lids are not recyclable and should be thrown in the garbage.
Oregon passed the Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act in 2021, which aims to modernize the state's recycling system, ensure responsible end markets for recyclables, and bring producers into bearing some of the costs of the system.
