Hermiston City Council to host work session on curbside recycling mandate implementation

HERMISTON, Ore. -- The Hermiston City Council will be holding a work session to talk about the mandate requiring cities to offer curbside recycling.

Oregon Legislature's Recycling Modernization Act (RMA) requires cities with a population of more than 4,000 people to offer curbside recycling by July 1, 2025.

The work session with the Hermiston City Council will be Tuesday, May 28 at 6 p.m.

RMA was created to shift the financial burden of recycling from end-users to producers through the Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs).

Washington D.C.'s Circular Action Alliance (CAA) was designated by the state of Oregon as its sole PRO, meaning it is responsible for collecting fees from producers and distributing funds to local governments.

After Oregon conducted a preliminary "Needs Assessment" in the spring of 2023; Hermiston City staff worked with Sanitary Disposal Inc. and neighboring communities to complete the assessment.

Key points to be discussed during the work session include:

1. The current status of the statewide list of recyclable materials.

2. CAA's progress in staffing and planning with local governments.

3. The detailed information needed for the refined Needs Assessment.

4. The timeline for establishing producer fees and the availability of funds for local

jurisdictions.

5. Potential options for Hermiston to meet the July 1, 2025, deadline, including borrowing

funds for initial investments in recycling containers and trucks.

6. The challenges of determining end-markets for collected materials and planning for

necessary infrastructure, such as regional reload facilities

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