Oregon’s producer-funded recycling system has delivered its first infrastructure numbers.
Circular Action Alliance (CAA) Oregon released the figures July 2 in its first annual report on the state’s paper and packaging EPR program, which launched July 1, 2025, under the Recycling Modernization Act (RMA).
More than 2,900 producers reported over 409,000 tons of covered materials to the program. CAA says the system processed more than 144,000 tons of recyclables, including 18,800 tons of glass. Education campaigns reached 89% of Oregon adults across 12 languages.
“Producer funds are already being put to work across Oregon, from new recycling carts and collection equipment to expanded access points and local program support,” said Kim Holmes, executive director of CAA Oregon, in a statement.
In the program’s first six months, the organization funded 20 new RecycleOn Centers, 42,000 recycling carts and 12 collection trucks, putting more than 605,000 residents newly within 15 miles of a drop-off site.
CAA called 2025 a “build year.” Program costs landed below original projections, a result the organization attributed to implementation timing. Heavier spending is scheduled for 2026 and 2027, as contracting and procurement work through the pipeline toward the RMA’s end-of-2027 full-implementation deadline.
“CAA’s primary focus during the first six months was working with interest holders across the state – from regulators to material producers, trade associations, local governments, recycling service providers and end markets – to build understanding about the program and support the contracting process so funding could begin flowing to eligible parties throughout the state,” Holmes said.
Oregon’s law puts CAA in charge of designing and operating the state’s DEQ-approved program plan, funded entirely by producers, with the Department of Environmental Quality holding oversight authority. That PRO arrangement mirrors the one CAA runs in California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington.
The report is the first hard data point for an EPR program that, until now, has largely existed on paper. It comes as other states work through complexities. California regulators are working through SB 54 rules and lawsuits, New York’s PRRIA remains stalled for the third time and a new wave of packaging bills is moving through state legislatures.
