New facility one of the first under the state’s Recycling Modernization Act
By Meg Wade for Ashland.news
Additional recycling options arrived at the Ashland Recycling Center on Wednesday, Oct. 15. Previously hard-to-recycle items such as shredded paper and plastic bags can now be dropped off at the RecycleOn Center, run by Circular Action Alliance (CAA). Ashland’s is one of the first to be launched in Oregon.
CAA hosted a ribbon-cutting at the Ashland Recycling Center on Wednesday morning, featuring representatives from Recology, Southern Oregon Goodwill, Ashland City Councilor Derek Sherrell, and Oregon Senator Jeff Golden. The ribbon was cut by CAA Oregon RecycleOn Center Manager Marisa Craft.
Other RecycleOn Centers are now operating in Southern Oregon, including in Grants Pass and Central Point, and a total of 140 centers are expected to be installed by the end of 2027.
The RecycleOn Center in Ashland, set on the north end of the lot at 220 Water St., is made from a recycled shipping container. Inside, large waste-high crates allow for easy drop-off of items that are typically known for jamming standard sorting machines. In addition to plastic bags and film, this includes plastic lids, aluminum foil, and rigid six-pack holders.
Other items collected include shredded paper, which often flies away on conveyor sorting machines. Plastic buckets are also accepted. Recology previously accepted some of these items, including aluminum foil, but many recycling facilities around the state do not.
It’s the creation of a separate sorting system that allows CAA to more easily recycle these items, said Alex Bertolucci, CAA’s Oregon Communications Manager. There are already existing markets and demand for the materials, and by creating a separated stream for sorting them, they can more easily enter those markets.
The RecycleOn Center in Ashland will be staffed by Recology, but with funds from CAA, Bertolucci said.
By the end of the day Thursday, the new facility was already seeing plenty of use. Bill Truesdell, the Recology attendant on site, estimated that he had seen 30 individuals drop items off during its first full day in operation.
The ability to recycle colored plastic, and plastic film, “is a big hit,” he said.
The RecycleOn Center joins the Goodwill Mobile Donation Trailer in a growing set of on-site collaborations with Recology to expand what can be collected at the Water Street location. The Goodwill trailer began service on July 9, accepting donations of clothing and home goods. Goodwill provides its own staff to help accept the donations.
Recycling services at the Ashland Recycling Center, including at the RecycleOn Center, are free.
The future of producer of responsibility for recycling in Oregon
CAA is focused on geographic expansion at the moment, and isn’t expecting to increase or diversify the kinds of items it accepts in the next few years, Bertolucci said, but that could change once it finishes establishing the network of RecycleOn Centers.
CAA’s work in Oregon is the result of the The Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act, passed by the state Legislature in 2021, which set statewide standards for recycling and also set up an Extended Producer Responsibility, or EPR, program. Oregon is one of seven states with an EPR program for packaging, and the first to begin its implementation.
So far, CAA, a nonprofit organization that represents producers including companies like Amazon, CocaCola, and Nestlé, is the only Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) established to fulfill EPR programs. It is also the subject of a lawsuit filed by the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors against the state of Oregon on July 30. The complaint claims that requiring the formation of a PRO and granting it authority over a public program violates the state constitution.
Bertolucci said he was unable to comment on pending litigation but shared a prepared statement from CAA:
“We are aware of the recent complaint filed by the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors against the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission, and the Oregon Attorney General. CAA is proud to be leading the implementation of Oregon’s Recycling Modernization Act and other Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs that support a more circular economy. We are committed to operating transparently, in full compliance with state laws, and in alignment with best practices followed by Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) across the country and internationally.”
In August, Oregon agencies received an extension to file their response to the complaint.
Email Ashland resident and freelance journalist Meg Wade at news@megwade.net.
