In 2015, Oregon passed a law requiring tenants of multi-family properties be given the opportunity and resources to recycle. Lane County Waste Management is conducting a pilot program to better understand what will help.
With a grant from The Recycling Partnership, Lane County Waste Management has separated the participating properties into three groups. Each group had their trash and recycling inspected for cross contamination before starting the program. All, except the control group, will receive instructions with a tote bag that can double as a recycling container. After another inspection, one group will be given additional instructions and resources.
One last inspection will be conducted to see what, if any, improvements have been made. According to Waste Reduction Specialist Sarah Grimm, the county expects to have a better understanding about what helps people recycle more and more effectively.
“We want to provide a baseline of resources and information about what will work,” said Grimm. “What will achieve compliance with the law and what will actually achieve improvement in the recycling.”
According to Grimm, the final report on the program will be finished in June. The expectation is to develop resources for property managers to use before the law takes effect in July 2022.