City starts work on curbside recycling act
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, December 14th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
HERMISTON – The Oregon Legislature’s Recycling Modernization Act means every city in the state with a population at or above 4,000 must offer curbside recycling by July 1, 2025. Hermiston is one of six communities in the state that has no form of curbside recycling already in operation. Assistant City Manager Mark Morgan said the city council was made aware of the act so it could be prepared as the process is made clearer.
Morgan said the RMA is a pioneer in recycling, so how it will work is basically anybody’s guess at this point.
“It’s a really large and convoluted approach,” he said. “It’s a model that’s never been done anywhere else in the world. They are trying to ensure that the producers of recyclable material are sharing in some of the costs.”
The producers who want to sell their products in Oregon have to join a consortium that pays funds to ensure that the products end up getting recycled. The funding structure has not been determined.
Morgan says there will be a huge upfront cost for Hermiston to institute curbside recycling, and city officials will have to explore ways to find the money to cover the cost of new equipment. He also said if businesses decide joining the consortium is not cost efficient, they will decide not to sell in Oregon at all.
“You’re probably going to see a little less selection,” he said of a trip to the grocery store after the act takes effect. “There are going to be some producers that say the juice isn’t worth the squeeze to sell something to Oregon. At the same time, the producers that can pass the costs along to customers are going to do it. You’re going to simultaneously see less selection at higher costs.”
The Department of Environmental Quality says there are 87 cities in the state with a population of 4,000 or higher. Of those, 81 offer some form of recycling.
