The City of Eugene has started a recycling campaign named “Drop the Baggage” to get information out about the most up-to-date recycling information available. This will direct residents to the campaign’s site so they will know what materials can be currently recycled and what can’t be based on fluctuation in recycling systems.

The Drop the Baggage webpage briefly explains general information about recycling, including  what items are recyclable. The site has a link to Lane County’s Wastewise tool, which allows someone to enter an item in a search bar and find out whether it can be recycled, reused or trashed. 

Deveron Musgrave, city of Eugene’s waste prevention and green building program manager, said there is a fair amount of confusion about what can and what cannot be recycled. 

“We discovered when we did a survey for launching the campaign that a lot of residents got their information from Facebook or a Google search and weren’t looking at what’s recyclable regionally,” Musgrave said. 

Musgrave said the city will be doing summer outreach, which will include public events and handing out flyers that have the “do’s and don’ts “of recycling.

Another function of the campaign is to raise awareness of Oregon’s Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act. The act passed in January 2022, and implementation is set for July 1, 2025. 

The act will build on local community programs to update Oregon’s outdated recycling systems. According to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality website, producers and manufacturers of paper products and food serviceware will pay for these improvements.

Those improvements will include expanded access to recycling services and upgrades to the facilities that sort recyclables. All Oregon cities and counties, regardless of size, will be eligible for funding. DEQ is conducting a survey in which local governments can indicate their interest in expanding recycling opportunities in their communities.

Musgrave said this will modernize Oregon’s recycling system and establish a unified collection list, which will stop the year-by-year changes in what can be recycled.

Musgrave said that as the date for implementation of the act nears, the city wants residents to know where to go for information. 

“What we’re trying to do is just let folks know that it’s coming, that there will be changes and that this is the right resource to access,” she said. “As we get closer to that July date, we want to let people know exactly what the changes are going to look like.”

Changes will include a statewide collection list for Oregon. A video produced by the DEQ explains that because producers of packaging are paying for a share of these resources, global recycling price fluctuations won’t affect Oregon the way they do now. This will mean consistent recycling bills for Oregonians. 

There will also be more opportunities to properly recycle things that can’t go into a home recycling bin. Recycling collections points near stores or events run by local governments will be able to accept those items.

Packaging producers will pay fewer fees if their packaging is more sustainable, which will incentivise them to create environmentally friendly packaging for products.

“We know that Eugene residents care about recycling,” Musgrave said. “Our hope for this campaign is that it will support their efforts to recycle right and let them know that there is a place to go for all their recycling questions.”

Eugene residents will be able to refer to the Drop the Baggage webpage for recycling information as changes from this new law are implemented locally.