Oregon DEQ Begins Ambitious Recycling Study

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has begun a year-long, statewide recycling study that will help the state get a more accurate picture of the numbers and types of beverage containers that Oregonians are recycling as well as the effectiveness of special curbside programs and recycling depots.

DEQ expects that getting more specific information about the number and types of containers Oregonians are recycling, plus data about residents’ use of curbside collection programs, will help community recycling programs statewide.

“We don’t necessarily want all recycling collection programs to be the same, but we do want them to be good,” said Peter Spendelow, study coordinator and DEQ solid waste specialist. “We’re hoping information gained from this study will help cities improve their programs.”

DEQ expects to release preliminary results in January 2005 and conclude the study in June 2005, issuing a report summarizing study findings later that year.

Some of the objectives of the study include the following:

Get a more accurate picture of the average amount of recyclables set out at the curb, by material

Determine the amount of material set out at the curb that is not recyclable

Determine the amount of curbside material that is not properly prepared by local standards (i.e., glass mixed with paper for Portland curbside pickups)

Gain a better understanding of how materials are collected.

Evaluate the recycling of rigid plastic containers by resin type. This will provide resin-specific recycling rates, which will help DEQ determine compliance with Oregon’s rigid plastic container law. (The law states that rigid plastic containers must contain at least 25 percent recycled content, must be made of plastic that is recycled in Oregon at a rate of at least 25 percent, or must be reusable.)

Determine the number of deposit beverage containers that are being recycled without being redeemed for deposit

Determine the number of other beverage containers -- both by container and beverage type -- that are being recycled. DEQ hopes to get more complete information about the total amounts of each container and beverage type, as well as the recycling rate for each.

Emphasis will be on residential collection, but samples will be taken from commercial recycling locations and recycling depots as well as from single-family homes and apartments.

DEQ will work with the full permission and support of local recycling collection companies to gather and sort through the recycled materials. DEQ expects to collect, sort and measure more than 100 curbside recycling samples consisting of recyclables from more than 2,500 households. No information linking recycling collection to individual household addresses will be collected, Spendelow emphasized.

Once data is gathered, DEQ will assess the effectiveness of recycling collection systems currently in use throughout the state.