Recycling facilities in Oregon are preparing for some updates, and recyclers may want to start saving up some soon-to-be-accepted items. Legislators passed Oregon鈥檚 Recycling Modernization Act in 2021, and public-facing changes start July 1.
Lane County Master Recycler program coordinator Kelly Bell said residents statewide will have an expanded list of recyclable items, similar to how things were prior to 2018. “If you recycled milk cartons forever and then, you know, the soy milk boxes came online, those will be coming back,” she said. “Things like butter tubs and yogurt tubs, as long as they are two inches on at least two sides, those will be coming back.鈥�
Bell said the rollout will be more of a dial than a switch. While Eugene and other large communities may see more curbside recycling on day one, other areas and recyclables will require new infrastructure.