Deschutes County Solid Waste, in collaboration with The Recycling Partnership, City of Bend, Cascade Disposal, and Republic Services, is announcing a Clean Cart education program to help residents recycle right and reduce contamination in the recycling stream.
Over the next several months, crews will place informational tags on recycling carts in residential neighborhoods around Bend. The tags will be placed only on carts that are set out for recycling on scheduled collection days.
“Our goal with this educational program is to help residents identify and avoid common contaminants that don’t belong in your recycling cart,” said Solid Waste Director Jeff Merwin. “One wrong item in the cart doesn’t ruin a whole truckload, but it can lower the value of materials and create more contamination during processing.”
Residents should watch for information tags on their recycling carts. The tag will list acceptable materials and items to keep out of the carts.
Common recycling contaminants include plastic bags and film plastic, bagged materials, Styrofoam, and food or liquid waste. Plastic bags and film can jam equipment and create safety issues for workers.
This educational program supports Oregon’s Recycling Modernization Act, where communities over 4,000 people need to implement a contamination reduction education program. Residents can learn more about the Recycling Modernization Act or about contamination in recycling on the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality website.
If you have questions, please contact the Deschutes County Solid Waste Department at solidwaste@deschutes.org or 541-317-3163.
