Columbia County to authorize haulers under Oregon's recycling modernization law; county seeks limited direct funding

Columbia County solid waste and public-works staff briefed the Board of Commissioners on Feb. 19 about implementation steps under Oregon's Recycling Modernization Act and recommended authorizing local haulers to receive most Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) funds directly.

The recommendation from Jake Anderson, Columbia County solid waste coordinator, and Mike Russell, Columbia County public works director, would give the county's two primary haulers full authorization for four funding categories (transportation, contamination evaluation, recycling-service expansion and post-consumer recycled content in collection containers) while reserving county-level authorization to receive contamination-reduction funds that support outreach and education.

County staff said the state-designated PRO for Oregon is the Circular Action Alliance, acting under Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) rules, and that the county must file an authorization form by March 31. "We have 3 options we can give our haulers in the county. We can give them full authorization, partial authorization, or no authorization," Anderson said during the briefing.

Why it matters: the RMA shifts more of the cost of recycling from local governments and residents to manufacturers through an EPR (extended producer responsibility) model. County staff argued giving haulers majority authorization would reduce Columbia County's administrative burden while allowing the county to use contamination-reduction funding for county-level education and targeted programs (examples cited included school outreach and fair booths).

During discussion commissioners asked about estimated funding amounts and future contract costs. Anderson said that contamination-reduction funding is roughly $3 per capita for whichever entity receives and administers those activities, but he did not provide a countywide total. Mike Russell noted the county is about to reissue its transfer-station operations request for proposals, which could raise operating costs independent of RMA funds.

County staff recommended the board approve the authorization approach and place the authorization form on the consent calendar for the chair to sign by the March 31 deadline. Commissioners indicated general agreement and staff said they would add the item to next week's consent agenda.

Looking ahead: staff said the authorization choice can be revisited annually and that as the PRO's programs and needs assessments unfold the county may seek direct PRO funds for specific projects such as rural recycling depots or other service expansions.