County residents now able to recycle new items – Deschutes County

Report on Oregon’s Recycling Modernization Act and its Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction and Overview

Effective July 1, 2025, Oregon’s Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act (RMA) has been implemented, establishing a comprehensive and standardized framework for recycling across the state. The act fundamentally reforms the funding, collection, and processing of recyclable materials, aligning Oregon’s waste management practices with key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).

Key Provisions and Systemic Changes

The RMA introduces several significant changes designed to create a more efficient, uniform, and sustainable recycling system. These reforms are central to achieving a circular economy and reducing the state’s environmental impact.

• Uniform Statewide Collection List: The act establishes a single, consistent list of recyclable materials for all curbside programs statewide, simplifying the process for residents and improving the quality of collected materials.
• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): A core component of the RMA is the requirement for producers of packaging, paper products, and food service ware to financially contribute to the recycling system. This producer-funded model supports infrastructure upgrades and ensures the responsible management of products at their end-of-life, directly addressing SDG 12.
• Expanded Recycling Access: The act expands the types of materials that can be conveniently recycled, furthering the goal of waste reduction.

Implementation and Material List Updates in Deschutes County

In alignment with the statewide mandate, Deschutes County has updated its collection guidelines for all curbside and drop-off recycling programs. These changes reflect the new Uniform Statewide Collection List.

Updated Curbside Collection List

1. Newly Accepted Materials:
   • Food & Beverage Cartons (e.g., milk, broth, juice cartons)
   • Pizza Boxes (with no food residue)
   • Small Scrap Metal (items under 10 pounds and 18 inches)
2. Materials No Longer Accepted in Curbside Carts:
   • Shredded Paper: This material must now be taken to designated drop-off bins at Deschutes Recycling (Knott Landfill) or any Deschutes County Transfer Station to ensure proper recycling.

Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The Recycling Modernization Act is a significant policy instrument that directly contributes to multiple SDGs, positioning Oregon as a leader in sustainable resource management.

• SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production: The act’s EPR framework is a direct implementation of SDG 12’s principles. By holding producers accountable for the lifecycle of their products, the RMA incentivizes the design of more sustainable packaging and substantially reduces waste generation through enhanced recycling and reuse.
• SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities: By standardizing and improving municipal recycling services, the RMA directly addresses the SDG 11 target of reducing the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including through improved solid waste management.
• SDG 13 – Climate Action: As noted by Deschutes County’s Director of Solid Waste, Tim Brownell, “Recycling… reduces climate impacts.” The act contributes to climate action by promoting the recycling of materials, which consumes significantly less energy and generates fewer greenhouse gas emissions than producing goods from virgin resources.
• SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth: The modernization and expansion of recycling infrastructure create local jobs in collection, sorting, processing, and manufacturing, fostering sustainable economic growth within a circular economy framework.
• SDG 14 (Life Below Water) & SDG 15 (Life on Land): The act’s focus on mitigating plastic pollution is critical to protecting aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems from the harmful effects of plastic waste, thereby supporting the conservation goals of SDG 14 and SDG 15.

SDGs Addressed in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The article focuses on improving municipal solid waste management in Deschutes County and statewide in Oregon. By implementing the Recycling Modernization Act (RMA), the community is taking direct action to manage waste more sustainably, which is a key component of creating sustainable cities.
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production: The RMA directly addresses patterns of consumption and production by modernizing how waste from packaging, paper, and food service ware is managed. The goal is to “substantially reduce waste generation through… recycling,” which is the core of this SDG. The act makes producers of these materials help fund the recycling services, promoting producer responsibility.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: The article explicitly states that one of the benefits of the new recycling program is that it “creates local jobs.” This directly connects the environmental initiative to economic growth and employment opportunities within the community.
• SDG 13: Climate Action: A stated benefit of the RMA is that “recycling… reduces climate impacts.” By improving and expanding recycling, the initiative contributes to climate change mitigation, aligning with the goals of SDG 13.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management. The article details the implementation of the RMA, which is a policy aimed directly at improving municipal waste management by creating a “Uniform Statewide Collection List” and expanding recycling opportunities.
2. Target 12.5: By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse. The entire purpose of the RMA is to increase the amount and types of materials that are recycled, as evidenced by the new acceptance of “food & beverage cartons, pizza boxes and small scrap metal.” This is a direct effort to reduce waste that would otherwise go to a landfill.
3. Target 8.3: Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation. The article mentions that the RMA is a policy that “creates local jobs,” positioning it as a development-oriented policy that supports local employment in the green economy sector.
4. Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning. The article mentions the “RecycleOn Oregon” campaign, which was created “to help Oregonians understand and adapt to the changes” of the RMA. This is a clear example of an awareness-raising initiative to educate the public on practices that contribute to climate mitigation.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Indicator for Target 11.6 & 12.5 (Implied): The article implies that progress can be measured by the volume and types of materials recycled. Specifically, the introduction of “food & beverage cartons,” “pizza boxes,” and “small scrap metal” to the curbside recycling program provides new, specific waste streams that can be tracked to measure an increase in the overall recycling rate and the proportion of municipal waste that is responsibly managed.
2. Indicator for Target 8.3 (Mentioned): The article explicitly mentions the creation of “local jobs” as a result of the new recycling program. Therefore, the number of new jobs created in the solid waste and recycling sector in Deschutes County and Oregon can be used as a direct indicator of progress.
3. Indicator for Target 13.3 (Mentioned): The article points to the “RecycleOn Oregon” statewide campaign as a tool for public education. The existence, reach, and engagement with this awareness campaign can serve as an indicator for measuring efforts to improve education on climate change mitigation actions like recycling.

Summary of Findings

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators’ to present the findings from analyzing the article. In this table, list the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), their corresponding targets, and the specific indicators identified in the article.

Source: deschutes.org