Recycling in Oregon increases, but goal is still out of reach

(DECEMBER 27, 2018) Oregonians love to recycle. They are proud of their work. Many people believe that Oregon recycles better than other states.

Oregon has a goal of recycling 52% of its waste by 2020. In 2017, however, Oregonians recycled only 42.8% of its waste. That is only a little more than the year before. In 2016, it was 42.2%. However, it is not increasing fast enough to reach its goal in 2020.

Peter Spendelow works for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The DEQ tries to protect the quality of Oregon's air, land, and water. Spendelow says the goal of 52% in 2020 is not realistic. In other words, it is not likely to happen.

What is the problem? One problem is that a paper mill in Newberg closed in 2015. Paper mills are factories that make paper. Some mills use trees. Other mills use waste paper to make new paper. The Newberg mill used wood waste from construction projects. However, there was a change in rules about air quality. Now the mill cannot take the wood waste anymore. So construction workers send the wood waste to landfills (big garbage dumps).

The problem is international, too. For example, companies in China used to purchase waste materials from Portland. Now they have changed their rules about the quality of materials. Oregon will have to work harder to follow the new rules and sell again to China. Until then, the materials go to landfills instead of recycling companies.

“Recycling and composting conserves resources, saves energy, and reduces pollution such as greenhouse gas emissions," Spendelow adds. “Proper management of materials at the end of their life makes a big difference, but it’s important to remember that preventing waste from happening in the first place and reusing what we have is the best way to protect the environment.”