Recycling News February 2023
From State Senator Janeen Sollman’s news: Zero Waste Initiatives
Every year it’s becoming more and more clear: We need to turn off the plastic tap. Plastic waste is piling up in our landfills, our communities, and our environment. This session, I am introducing several bills related to a Zero Waste Initiative. I recently participated in a Plastic Policy Roundup with advocates to bring awareness to these policies. You can watch the event here and learn more about the individual bills below.
SB542: Right to Repair: This bill would give every Oregonian and every small business access to the parts, tools, and service information they need to repair products. This will allow more people to have affordable access to technology and reduce equity barriers for low-income households, protect consumers by allowing them to fully own their own product, and boost small businesses like small independent repair shops that are part of our Main Street business economy.
SB543: Polystyrene Foodware: This bill will phase out polystyrene foodware and PFAS in food packaging. A proposed bill would ban polystyrene foodware, coolers and packing peanuts, as well as phasing out PFAS, a toxic “forever chemical,” from food packaging, which has been linked to thyroid, kidney, and ovarian cancers.
SB544: Plastic Source Reduction: This bill requires producers to reduce the amount of single-use plastic packaging and foodware by 25% over the next decade.
SB545: Legalize Reusables for Food: This bill would establish “legal” reuse systems and opportunities under Oregon’s Health Code for consumers and businesses alike to transition away from harmful single-use items.
Visit Senator Sollman’s state web page to learn more and sign up for her informative newsletters.
Purple bin update
Washington County has updated the page at Solid Waste & Recycling to provide better information for those who want to use the purple bin to recycle more than you can in the mixed recycling bin. We will have a presentation from them during the March 14 CPO 1 meeting. Contact Cosette Lemos, Americorps Waste Prevention Educator, for a printable poster.
