Recovery Rate in Oregon Dips

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality reported a dip in the recovery for 2002.

Oregon’s solid waste recovery rate for 2002 is 46.5 percent, according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, which released figures from its 11th annual survey of garbage haulers and private recycling companies. The 2002 rate is down 0.3 percent from 2001’s record 46.8 percent.

Recovery of actual waste material in the state went up slightly (2.5 percent) but disposal increased even more (3.5 percent), according to DEQ solid waste specialists.

“This drop can largely be attributed to the jump in the disposal of solid waste in the state along with poor market conditions for recycled materials,” said Mary Sue Gilliland, manager of DEQ’s Solid Waste Program. “The poor economy undermined improved waste recovery programs in communities throughout the state.”

Of all the materials recovered last year, organics (mainly food waste, wood waste and yard debris) made up 41.4 percent, followed by paper (33.2 percent), metals (12.8 percent), glass (4.6 percent), and plastics (1.2 percent). Other assorted waste (including such items as tires, paint, batteries, brick, asphalt roofing material and motor oil) totaled 6.8 percent. Among the key reasons for the decline in the 2002 state waste recovery rate:

The amount of materials going to landfills increased 3.5 percent statewide

Poor market prices contributed to a drop in the collection of some materials for recycling and energy recovery

The increased amount of disposal and recovery caused an increase in per capita waste generation

On the plus side, Gilliland noted several positive trends in the state’s waste recovery trends:

The amount of organic materials collected for composting increased nearly 27 percent

Recovery of waste tires increased 35 percent due to new and expanded markets

“We’re disappointed by the continued increase in waste generation,” said Gilliland. “We’d like to see more Oregonians reduce the amount of waste they generate in the first place. It will be very difficult for the state to meet the Legislature’s mandated 2005 no per-capita increase in waste generation goal without Oregonians changing their habits.”

In 2002, each Oregonian generated 2,726 pounds of waste, an increase of 1.9 percent from the 2,676 pounds in 2001. The previous year had seen a 1.2 percent increase in the amount of per capita waste generated. DEQ believes the continued increase is due to lack of availability and consumer resistance to waste reduction and reuse options.

The total amount of recovered material collected last year was slightly more than 2 million tons. That represents a 1.5 percent per capita increase from the 1,999,098 tons in 2001.

Gilliland says that despite 2002’s slight decline in waste recovery, Oregon remains among the nation’s leaders in solid waste recovery and recycling. Each state calculates its recovery rates slightly differently, so it’s difficult to make close comparisons, she noted. “It is encouraging that in these economic times, homeowners and businesses still value and support our recycling programs,” she said.

Recovery rate data from the entire state of Oregon will be available on the DEQ Web page at www.deq.state.or.us/wmc/solwaste/rsw.htm by the middle of October. A report about the 2002 recovery rates will be available to the public via the DEQ Web site by the end of October.