Oregon Has More Than One Recycling List. Here Is What You Should Know About Them 

If you’ve heard about multiple recycling lists in Oregon, it might be because you live near a RecycleOn Center. But why are there different lists? 

Thanks to the Recycling Modernization Act (RMA), Oregon now has one list for what you can recycle in your mixed recycling bin at home and work and another recycling list for drop-off recycling at RecycleOn Centers.  

The mixed recycling list is officially called the Uniform Statewide Collection List, or USCL. It identifies what Oregonians can place in their recycling bins mixed together. The goal of a single list is to make recycling simple no matter where you are in Oregon. 

The USCL includes the most familiar recyclable materials, such as paper boxes, plastic bottles and cans. Other items accepted on the list include:  

Paper Products  

• Corrugated cardboard: Uncoated cardboard boxes, including flattened boxes and pizza boxes without food residue (No sauce and cheese. A little grease is OK).  

• Kraft paper: Paper bags and paper mailing envelopes. 

• Paperboard packaging: Cereal, cracker and medicine boxes.  

• Cartons: Milk and juice cartons and containers used for things like soy milk, broth and soup. 

• Molded pulp packaging: Paper egg cartons and protective paper wine or electronics packaging.  

• Office paper and mail: White and colored paper, newspapers, magazines, catalogs, paperback books and non-metalized gift wrap and tissue paper. 

Plastic & Containers 

• Plastic bottles and jugs: Plastic containers used for beverages, juice, peanut butter, milk, laundry detergent and more. 

• Plastic tubs: Plastic containers that measure at least 2 inches by 2 inches in size. These often package yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese and tofu . Keep the lids off and drop them off at a RecycleOn Center. 

• Plastic buckets: Buckets and pails, similar to cat litter buckets. 

• Nursery packaging: Rigid plastic plant pots (thicker, sturdy plastic that holds its shape). Make sure they’re empty and free of soil. 

Metal 

• Aluminum and steel cans: Food and beverage cans, plus empty metal paint cans. 

• Scrap metal: Small household metal items, such as pots and pans. Must be under 10 pounds and 18 inches. No hoses, chains or wires. These tangle in machines.  

Glass

• Glass bottles and jars: Empty glass bottles and jars can be placed in a separate curbside glass collection bin or dropped-off at a glass recycling depot. Pour out liquids and food; labels can stay. To find a drop off location, click here.  

Enter RecycleOn Centers 

Not all materials can be collected mixed together. Some items cause issues in the sorting facilities. When you place something in your recycling bin, it takes a trip to a sorting facility, where it is sorted by material type and size. Really small items can get lost in the shuffle—loose caps and shredded paper for example—and other items may be too big and take up space in your recycling cart, such as plastic buckets. This is where drop-off RecycleOn Centers come in, where we collect a set of tricky-to-sort items. 

Accepted items include the following. 

• Plastic film and stretchy plastics: Stretchy plastics such as plastic bags, bread bags, produce bags, bubble wrap, air pillows, shipping mailers and plastic overwrap. 

• Plastic lids and screw on caps: Clean and dry plastic lids from yogurt, salsa and other containers. Screw on plastic caps from items like cartons, bottles, jugs and other containers. 

• Plastic pails and buckets: Clean buckets and pails that may not always fit in your recycling bin. 

• Plastic package handles: Such as 6-pack handles. No six-pack rings that can stretch. 

• Shredded paper: That is in a closed paper bag, rolled or stapled shut. 

• Aluminum foil and trays: Clean and dry trays and balled up aluminum foil. 

What Happens Next? 

All materials collected for recycling in Oregon, whether curbside or at RecycleOn Centers, must go to Responsible End Markets, or REMs. These are the places that turn recycling into building blocks for new products. These materials can become all sorts of things, including new containers, park benches, carpet, clothing, building materials, new boxes and much more. 

Our goal is to make this process simple to understand so you can make the best decision every time you’re preparing something for your recycling bin, trash, or next trip to a RecycleOn Center. Check out each list here: 

Mixed Recycling  

RecycleOn Center  

Still have questions? Contact us here.