Thank you to the many local government, DEQ, and CAA staff who worked together to create this FAQ for the Portland Metro Region.
What is the Recycling Modernization Act?
The Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act is a new Oregon law that updates and improves the state’s recycling system. It will make recycling easier for Oregonians, better for the environment, and fairer for workers, while holding businesses accountable for the packaging and paper waste they create.
Watch a 3-minute overview of the Recycling Modernization Act (en español).
When does the law go into effect?
The Recycling Modernization Act was passed by the Oregon State Legislature in 2021, and recycling program changes begin in July 2025. The changes will take time to implement, and some will not go into effect until 2026 or later.
What does this law do?
Reduces plastic, waste, and pollution by making the companies that produce packaging materials more responsible for what they sell in Oregon. The law encourages companies to design more sustainable packaging by charging lower fees when they use less packaging, make it from recycled materials, or design it to be easy to recycle.
Improves tracking and transparency: Recycling facilities will provide clearer information about what happens to materials after sorting. This helps ensure recyclables are sent to businesses that turn them into new products in ways that are safe for people and the environment.
Holds companies accountable for responsible recycling: Producer responsibility is a big part of what makes the Recycling Modernization Act so impactful. The law requires companies that make, sell, or distribute packaging, paper products, and food serviceware to pay fees that help ensure their products are recycled responsibly. These fees fund facility upgrades, expanded recycling services, fair wages for workers, and public education programs.
Upgrades recycling facilities: Oregon recycling facilities will be upgraded to handle and sort materials more efficiently and responsibly.
Watch a three-minute video showing the Future of Recycling Processors in Oregon (en español).
Expands recycling outside of the Portland metro area: The new law will provide recycling services to Oregonians who haven’t had them before, including rural communities and apartment buildings. In the next few years, over 150,000 more Oregon households will get recycling at their homes and workplaces. And over 100 new recycling drop-off sites will be added across the state, making drop-off service more convenient.
Creates one statewide list of what can be recycled. A new statewide recycling collection list will provide clarity to households and businesses about what can be recycled.
The statewide list as of July 2025 is almost identical to the current Portland-area recycling accepted list.
More items may be added over time, after the system improves and items have been vetted to ensure they can be recycled responsibly.
How will recycling change for me?
If you live in the Portland area, your recycling routine won’t change much at first. In the first few years, many improvements will happen behind the scenes, like upgrades to recycling facilities and expanded recycling access in rural parts of Oregon.
But you will start to notice some helpful changes:
Starting July 1, 2025: Small additions to the accepted recycling list include screw-on plastic caps on plastic bottles and clean pizza boxes.
In the next few years: New drop-off locations for items like block StyrofoamTM and plastic bags.
Looking ahead: More items will be added to the recycling list as the system improves.
You can also have renewed confidence in recycling. This new law strengthens the state’s existing requirements to ensure your recyclables are turned into new products. Recycling facilities must track where materials go after sorting, follow health and safety rules, and pay workers fair wages. These improvements mean you can recycle with renewed confidence.
Can I recycle more things now?
Changes to the recycling acceptance list
The new statewide recycling accepted list is almost identical to the recycling list the Portland area has been using for years. However, there are a few additions and modifications.
Starting July 1, 2025, you’re allowed to put the following things in your recycling bin:
Plastic screw-on caps are allowed on plastic bottles, jars, and jugs – if they’re screwed on (no loose caps).
Examples include plastic soda bottle caps, plastic peanut butter jar tops, and plastic laundry jug tops.
What’s not allowed: Plastic caps on paper cartons or glass. Please continue to remove and throw away plastic caps from things like milk, creamer, and orange juice cartons and glass oil and vinegar bottles.
Pizza delivery boxes with minimal grease and no food residue.
Empty pizza delivery boxes are allowed in your recycling bin.
If the cardboard is a little greasy that's ok, but cheese, sauce, or other food is not.
If the pizza box has a paper liner, remove the liner and put it in the trash.
What’s not allowed: Pizza delivery boxes with cheese, sauce, or other food on them (these can go in your compost bin if you have residential curbside compost service. Otherwise, they should go in the trash).
Option to remove lid: If the pizza box bottom is covered in food but the lid isn’t, you can tear off the lid and put it in the recycling bin.
Image with Figure 1 and 2 showing acceptable levels of grease on a pizza box for recycling. Figure 3 and 4 shows unacceptable levels of grease and cheese on a pizza box.
Other changes:
Smaller size limits for scrap metal: Scrap metal must be less than 10 pounds and 18 inches. (Previously, the guidelines allowed up to 30 inches and 30 pounds.)
Minimum sizes for plastic bottles, round containers, and jugs: The new guidelines say plastic bottles and round containers must be larger than 2 inches by 2 inches. (Previously, the guidelines were 6 ounces or larger.)
No longer accepted:
Shredded paper
Refrigerated boxes (butter boxes, cardboard wrappers on plastic-wrapped food)
Future items added to the accepted list
As upgrades are made at local recycling facilities, more items may be added to the statewide recycling list. These changes will take some time—likely a few years.
New drop-off options for hard-to-recycle items
In the next few years, you’ll start to see more free drop-off locations and collection events for:
Block StyrofoamTM
Plastic bags and plastic wrap
Hard plastic 6-pack and 4-pack beverage carriers that snap onto the tops of drink cans
Note: Some recycling drop-off locations already exist for these items. Visit www.oregonmetro.gov/findarecycler to find the nearest one.
Will I have to pay for these changes?
The companies that make and sell packaging, paper products, and food serviceware are responsible for paying for these improvements.
This approach is called producer responsibility. It means that companies that make or sell products must help cover the costs of managing them after people are done using them.
Will this make things I buy more expensive?
This law isn’t expected to raise prices for everyday shoppers. A study by Oregon DEQ looked at similar laws in places like Canada and Europe. It found that prices stayed the same for most products.
Will small businesses have to pay fees?
Most small businesses are exempt. If a business earns less than $5 million in annual revenue or sells less than one ton of packaging, paper products, or food serviceware in Oregon each year, it won’t have to pay fees. [Source].
How and why are companies paying for recycling improvements?
Oregon’s Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act is a type of law called Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
This law requires companies that make or sell packaging, paper products, and food serviceware to contribute to the cost of the recycling system instead of leaving all the costs to cities and residents.
What is Extended Producer Responsibility?
It means that companies that make or sell a product (also called “producers”) must take more responsibility for what happens to their products after people use them.
That includes paying fees to help make sure their packaging and paper can be collected and recycled properly.
What is a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO)?
A Producer Responsibility Organization, or PRO, is a non-profit that producers join to meet their EPR requirements. The PRO:
Collects and manages the fees paid by producers.
Works with local governments and recycling companies to improve the recycling system.
Ensures producers follow the rules.
Circular Action Alliance is the approved PRO for Oregon’s Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act. It collects fees from companies that make and sell paper and packaging, then uses that money to:
Upgrade recycling facilities.
Buy new recycling trucks and carts for areas that need them.
Support statewide recycling education.
Watch a 2-minute video about how manufacturers and producers of packaging pay into our system (en español)
Is my recycling really getting recycled?
Yes – as long as you’re putting accepted items in your bin.
A key part of Oregon’s Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act is making sure that the items we collect for recycling actually get recycled—and that it’s done the right way. This ensures that plastic and other trash are kept out of our waterways and communities, both domestically and overseas.
Items on Oregon’s statewide recycling list can be recycled responsibly.
The items you see on the accepted list for recycling have been rigorously evaluated by the state of Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality to ensure that they can be recycled responsibly.
Some items—like plastic bags—can be recycled responsibly but cause problems at our recycling sorting facilities. These items are not accepted in your home or work recycling bins, but there will be new drop-off recycling locations where you can take them.
What happens to your recycling after it leaves your home or work?
When you recycle something, it doesn’t just disappear; it goes through multiple steps to be sorted, processed, and then turned into something new.
Oregon’s new law requires the companies involved in these steps to meet high standards to be considered responsible. They must manage recyclable materials in ways that protect the environment and reduce risks to public health.
For example, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will permit, certify, and audit the facilities that sort recyclables. To meet new performance standards, these facilities must:
Sort materials effectively.
Remove items that can’t be recycled.
Report where materials are sent to be processed and made into new products.
Pay workers a living wage and provide supportive benefits.
These changes help make sure that what you recycle is handled responsibly from start to finish.
What is RecycleOn.org/Oregon?
RecycleOn Oregon is the statewide recycling education campaign. It’s run by Circular Action Alliance, the organization that represents companies that make and sell packaging, paper products, and food containers.
On the website www.RecycleOn.org/Oregon you can find information about recycling across the state of Oregon as well as Oregon’s Producer Responsibility Organization.
The most accurate information for recycling in your area can be found on your local jurisdiction’s website. They will also have information about compost, garbage, bulky waste, and other waste collection items, as well as your garbage rates, and more.
Learn more
The State of Oregon’s dedicated website for the Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act: RecyclingAct.Oregon.gov