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We answer the question, “Is my plastic really getting recycled?” For Portlanders the answer is, yes, as long as you follow the recycling guidelines.
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You ask, we answer
Question: Is my plastic recycling actually getting recycled? I’ve read that it all ends up in the trash.
Answer: You can feel confident that your plastic is getting recycled if it’s on Portland’s accepted recycling list.
It’s true that globally, only a small amount of plastic gets recycled and plastic pollution is a serious and growing problem. But here in Portland, and Oregon as a whole, we have good reasons to be confident that the plastic we put in our recycling bins gets recycled.
What makes Portland’s recycling different
Our system is built to ensure that the plastics we collect are recycled, and a new state law is making that system even stronger.
We only accept plastics that can be properly sorted and recycled
Portland’s list of accepted plastics is short on purpose: It's bottles, jars, buckets, and tubs.
We only accept plastic items that:
- Have strong, stable markets. This means companies want to buy the material to make new products.
- Can be sorted at recycling facilities. For example, plastic bags tangle in sorting machines, causing jams and safety risks. They can be recycled at grocery stores and other drop-off locations, but never in your blue bin.
The plastics on Portland’s accepted list match Oregon’s new statewide recycling list. As part of the state’s Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) reviewed these items to make sure they can be recycled responsibly, both in the U.S. and abroad.
Oregon checks the system regularly
Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) closely monitors the recycling system. They:
- Evaluate all materials based on criteria for effective and responsible recycling (ORS 459A.914(3)).
- Permit recycling facilities and hold them to strict performance standards.
- Enforce rules that prevent accepted recyclables from being sent to the landfill (OAR 340‑090‑0090(2)).
- Enforce rules requiring recycling facilities and the producer responsibility organization to send materials only to safe, responsible sites that benefit the environment and minimize health and safety risks to workers and the public.
The Recycling Modernization Act strengthens the system
Oregon’s new Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act (RMA) builds on this strong foundation. It:
- Requires companies that produce packaging to help pay for recycling.
- Improves recycling access across the state, especially in rural and underserved areas.
- Expands oversight and reporting so materials are tracked more closely.
- Requires staff at recycling facilities are paid a living wage.
- Increases transparency in the overall system, so the public can trust that what they put in their recycling bin is in fact being recycled and made into new products.
A core part of the law is to make sure that materials collected for recycling are actually recycled and that recycling is done responsibly. This ensures environmentally beneficial recycling and keeps plastic and other trash out of our waterways and communities, both domestically and overseas.
Learn more about Oregon’s new recycling law
Behind the scenes: How recyclables are processed
Sorting it out
In Portland, paper, cardboard, metal, and plastic bottles and tubs can all go in one bin. This makes it easier for people to recycle, which leads to higher levels of recycling.
But it also means recyclables must be sorted, so all the paper can be sent to the paper mill, metal to the metal recycling facility, etc. Sorting is done here in Oregon, in big warehouses where both machines and people work to remove items that aren’t recyclable and sort out the rest by material type.
This 1.5 minute video shows what happens to recyclables after the recycling truck takes them away:
Turning recyclables into new products
Some materials are turned into commodities used here in the Portland metro region. Other materials are sent out of state or overseas to be made into new products.
- Your empty plastic bottles could become a park bench or filling for a winter coat.
- Yesterday’s newspaper could become the cereal box you pull off the shelf next year.
- An aluminum can recycled today can be back on the shelf as a new one in just 60 days!
Keep recycling (But reduce & reuse first)
When you recycle right – put the right stuff in your recycling bin and keep other things out – you’re making a difference:
- It saves energy. Making products from recycled materials often uses far less energy than making them from raw resources.
- It reduces pollution. Recycling helps keep plastic and other waste out of our natural environments, rivers, and oceans. It also reduces pollution from extracting and processing raw materials.
- It conserves resources. Recycling gives materials a second life, so we don’t have to keep extracting new ones.
- It supports local jobs. Recycling provides good jobs in our community.
In Oregon, we recycled 2.4 million tons in 2022, which reduced 3.1 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent emissions.
Recycling isn’t a perfect solution, but it’s an important part of the bigger picture.
So keep recycling! It matters. Just make sure to reduce and reuse first, and always follow Portland’s accepted list when you recycle.
Check Portland’s recycling list
Collect non-curbside recyclables for drop-off
Some items, like plastic bags and electronics, can be recycled at drop-off locations, but not at your home or work. That’s because they cause problems at our local sorting facilities: They can jam machinery (plastic bags), start fires (electronics with batteries), or make a mess (shredded paper).
But you can take them to a drop-off location where they’re collected separately (and safely).
Find recycling drop-off locations
Reduce, reuse, and then recycle
The closer you are to the top (reduce), the fewer resources you use, and the less pollution and waste you create. From mining raw materials to manufacturing and shipping, everything has a footprint, even if it ends up being recycled later.
Reduce: Use less in the first place
Most of a product’s environmental impact happens before you ever use it, from extracting raw materials to manufacturing, packaging, and shipping. To reduce waste before it happens:
- Buy only what you need.
- Choose products that will last a long time.
- Look for products with less packaging.
Reuse: Use it again
Reusing helps reduce the need to make new stuff, which saves energy, resources, and pollution. Make the most of something once you’ve got it:
- Avoid single-use or throw-away items
- Borrow instead of buy
- Repair or refill when you can
- Donate usable items
Recycle: Turn it into something new
Recycling is important, but it comes after reduce and reuse. That’s because recycling takes energy and still creates waste.
Learn more about the waste hierarchy
Easy ways to reduce and reuse
Borrow or give away: Borrow tools from your neighborhood tool library or give away items on Buy Nothing or Nextdoor.
Repair: Fix a broken toaster or mend torn jeans at a free Repair Café.
Donate: Drop off gently used clothes and home goods at one of Portland’s many nonprofits.
Reuse: Shop salvaged building materials at ReBuilding Center or Habitat ReStore, or score deals on secondhand clothes and furniture at local thrift stores.
Did you know the City offers a map of local places to reuse, repair, and share? Find it on the Resourceful PDX website, along with simple ways to help you reduce waste and save money.