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Rogue Disposal details statewide recycling changes, rollout of 'Recycle On' drop-off centers
Summary
Rogue Disposal and Recycling told Medford council the statewide Recycling Modernization Act standardized a curbside materials list July 1, expanded accepted items, established 'Recycle On' drop-off centers in the county, and funds upgrades via Extended Producer Responsibility.
Rogue Disposal and Recycling outlined how the statewide Recycling Modernization Act (RMA) is changing curbside recycling and collection options in Jackson County during a Sept. 17 update to the Medford City Council.
Holly Diemer, Rogue Disposal’s customer service manager, said July 1 marked the start of a uniform statewide collection list intended to reduce customer confusion and increase the range of accepted curbside materials. Diemer cited a vetting process (industry experts, haulers, sorting facilities and DEQ) that evaluated roughly 75 candidate materials and placed items on a list only when responsible end markets exist for recycling them.
The expanded list allows more plastics (including No. 5 tubs such as sour-cream and yogurt containers) and some mixed fibers such as aseptic cartons (milk and soup cartons). Diemer highlighted some surprising changes: "under metal, you can actually put pots and pans in your curbside cart," she said. She also described outreach plans that include the city posting a PDF on Rogue Disposal’s website, social media, cart stickers and on-cart "oops" tags to identify contamination.
Diemer described a new network of three county "Recycle On" drop-off centers for hard-to-recycle items (Recycle Depot in White City, plus sites in Ashland and Eagle Point) that will accept plastic bags and stretchy plastics, plastic lids, rigid plastic package handles, aluminum foil and shredded paper. Diemer said the RMA includes Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), under which producers pay for necessary infrastructure upgrades; "with EPR...the expenses do not extend to the rate payer like they have in the past," she said.
Councilors asked how stickers for existing carts will be distributed (new carts will be pre-stickered; options include mailers, drivers or contracted staff). On contamination rates, Diemer said historic audits after the 2018 market collapse showed under-20% contamination and likely below 15% in some parts of Oregon; new statewide audits under the RMA will be performed by a third party and updated figures were not yet available. In Q&A she stated directly: "No. We are not sending anything to China anymore," describing the shift to domestic end markets.
Councilors received the update; no action was required.
