Waste Connections district manager Jim Winterbottom briefed the council July 14 on the Recycling Modernization Act (RMA) and how it will affect local curbside recycling and drop‑off depots.

Winterbottom said the state law (Senate Bill 582) created a producer responsibility structure in which companies that sell packaging into Oregon will pay into a producer responsibility organization (the Circular Action Alliance, known as CAA) to fund recycling infrastructure and standardized curbside collection. "It is more of a dial than a switch," Winterbottom said, describing a phased rollout that began July 1 and "we're gonna see the start up going through 2027 at the minimum." He added that the RMA's intent is "to access more Oregonians to recycling" by creating a uniform statewide list of accepted materials and by providing carts, trucks or transload facilities where needed.

Winterbottom described a 90‑gallon cart planned for residential collection and said CAA would pay vendors to supply carts for cities. He said some items (aerosol cans, film, shredded paper, aluminum foil and pressurized containers) will be handled at designated depot sites rather than in curbside single‑stream carts. He also said material recovery facilities (MRFs) will need permitting to document end‑use markets for recycled material.

During public Q&A residents asked about labeling and languages on carts, pickup frequency, contamination monitoring and whether the program will raise resident fees. Winterbottom said carts would be hot‑stamped with acceptable items, that materials guidance is being translated into 11 languages, that most household routes will be collected every other week, and that he did not anticipate "dramatic increases in fees" for residents at this time. He also described a "hopper cam" photo program that some haulers use to document contamination at pickup.

Winterbottom emphasized that the funding obligation applies to manufacturers and retailers that sell into Oregon irrespective of where the item is manufactured, and he listed national companies that will contribute: "Walmart, Amazon, Pepsi, Coca Cola" and others. He directed residents to DEQ and CAA Oregon websites for more information and said the Dalles (city referenced in the presentation) qualifies as a priority city because it has more than 4,000 residents and a higher curbside need.

No council action was taken; the item was an informational presentation.