Recycling Advocates

The Issues

To maintain Oregon’s natural beauty and the human health of its residents, we must conserve our natural resources and minimize extraction of raw materials through resource conservation. Recycling Advocates focuses on the 3 R’s of waste prevention (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). We encourage greater product stewardship, educate citizens and professionals about waste prevention, and inform members and the public about legislation and policies that affect waste prevention in Oregon.

Key Recent Accomplishments  

Raising Awareness of the Need to Expand the Bottle Bill:
Recycling Advocates is an organization that does exactly what its title implies; it advocates for recycling. This organization champions ideas that further that mission. Oregon’s Bottle Bill is one of the oldest examples. This legislation was passed 40 years ago and substantially increases recycling for all of the beverage containers that are covered. RA was integral to the expansion legislation that was passed in 2007. It is time to engage the citizens to encourage a comprehensive enhancement.
In January 2011 Recycling Advocates joined co-host organizations Association of Oregon Recyclers, and Environment Oregon for a 40th birthday party celebrating Oregon's landmark legislation.  Over 150 people attended the gathering in Portland to celebrate the Bottle Bill’s legacy and to honor all of the people that have contributed to the Bottle Bill’s success over the years. The event commemorated the conception and passage of the bill and honored the key players involved in the original effort. Recycling Advocates brings citizens, industry leaders and legislators together to inspire Oregonians.

Major Current Goals 

• A plastic bag ban and bag recycling efforts will be a central goal for RA during 2011.
• Advocate for Product Stewardship initiatives and legislation.
• Continued advocacy of beverage container recycling and recovery through an enhanced bottle bill.

3R’s Outreach and Education 
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle make up the 3R’s of waste prevention. Outreach and education remain key strategies for involving people in creating a sustainable future through preventing waste. Recycling Advocates reaches out to citizens in a variety of ways. 

Monthly Newsletter
The monthly Recycling Advocates Electronic Newsletter remains our most popular publication due to its original articles as well as news gathered from other waste prevention organizations on local, regional, national and international topics. This year, the newsletter included original articles on Oregon’s bottle bill legislation, efforts to Ban Plastic Bags, Portland "Cartivores", bottle redemption centers, and many other issues. The newsletter also provides resources for education and citizen-based legislative action, and a calendar of related events. The newsletters are send electronically to its members monthly and is available to the public from its website at www.RecyclingAdvocates.org. 

RA Website
Our website is a key communication tool for members and nonmembers alike. This year, it was a resource for current details, rallies and testimony opportunities for the two major pieces of legislation of interest to the recycling community. The expanded bottle bill legislation and plactic bag ban. 

Tabling at Events
This year member volunteers presented RA’s educational displays and materials to hundreds of people at the Association of Oregon Recyclers Education Conference, community college events in the region, and luncheon discussions at various businesses. 

Supporting Master Recyclers
Master Recycler Program graduates received the RA newsletter for free for a year following their graduation, keeping them updated on new developments in waste prevention. Betty Patton, and Katy Daily presented to Master Recycler classes throughout the year.

Special Events
We organize a special event each year in conjunction with our annual member meeting.  

Citizen Voices
RA member volunteers represented Recycling Advocates and the “voice of the citizen” on a number of advisory boards over the year. 

Portland Recycles!
The City of Portland has researched and analyzed a variety of changes to both residential curbside and commercial collection of recyclables. The City convened two task forces to discuss these approaches. RA had a representative on the residential as well as on the commercial teams to encourage the City to maximize its diversion percentage. The residential task force’s recommendations will be implemented in 2008. Changes to the commercial system are still being discussed.

Other Boards and Organizations
Recycling Advocates continues to work with a number of other organizations to promote waste prevention policies and behaviors. A partial list of our collaborative partners includes: Association of Oregon Recyclers, Earth Share of Oregon, Master Recycler Program, Oregon Conservation Network, the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, OSPIRG, and the Northwest Waste Prevention Coalition.
 

Citizen and Legislative Action
Central to our mission is the engagement of citizens in waste prevention policy and practices. To assist our efforts to keep Oregon at the forefront of waste prevention policies, Recycling Advocates continues its relationship with the Oregon League of Conservation Voters’ Oregon Conservation Network (OCN). RA participated in OCN’s selection of shared environmental priorities for the conservation community in last years Legislative session, and our e-waste legislation topic was included in OCN’s Priorities for a Healthy Oregon.

Electronic Waste Recycling
E-waste legislation to offer computer and television recycling to residents was studied and attempted for many years in Oregon. RA was at the forefront of this issue back in 2000. Because of RA’s leadership and experience with this issue, many RA board members were active advocates for this solution. RA members and members wrote and published newsletter articles, wrote letters to the editor, and talked with their elected officials at length about the need for a legislated approach. Years of RA’s efforts resulted in the bill passing unanimously in both houses.

Bottle Bill Expansion
For 40 years, Oregon has had a deposit on carbonated and malt-based beverage containers. During the 2007 legislative session  SB707 was introduced and eventually passed. This law expands the beverages covered under container deposit legislation and creates a task force to discuss further implementation. RA is again advocating for a further expantion of the bottle bill in 2011 and monitioring developments in the new redemption depot pilot program.