Portland to Enact C&D Recycling Mandate

Metro, the regional government for the Portland, Ore., region, has approved construction and demolition recycling legislation that will go into effect in 2009, according to the Oregonian (Portland, Ore.).

The policy will take effect six years after it was first proposed. The policy requires mixed loads of C&D debris to be sorted for recyclables prior to dumping, leaving no more than 15 percent recyclables in the remaining material, according to the report.

The regulation was approved last week by Metro’s council and is part of the agency’s overall plan to increase recycling rates in the metro area by 64 percent by the end of 2009.

Metro officials predict the C&D recycling policy will keep an approximate 33,000 tons of C&D material out of landfills, enough to boost the overall recycling rate by 1.25 percent.

More information is available at www.metro-region.org.