Oregon Citizens Lobby

ACTION ALERTS

2021 Legislative Session

February 12, 2021

With the Oregon Capital closed to the public: The Oregon Citizens Lobby is using the Telegram.org platform for the 2021 Legislative session.

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SB 14 plastic stewardship program

VOTE:NO      Date of Post: 02/11/2021      Status of bill: In Committee
Public Hearing   02/16/2021 1:00pm  

Status (overview) of bill: 
https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2021R1/Measures/Overview/SB14
Committee assigned to bill: 
https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2021R1/Committees/SEE/Overview

Send testimony using OLIS form.

This bill establishes product stewardship program for plastic packaging and plastic food serviceware.

Fiscal Responsibility
Unlike hazardous stewardship programs, this programs is far reaching so a concise organization isn’t possible making it an over reach for government. General fund will continuously appropriates moneys in fund to Department of Environmental Quality for purposes of Act. DEQ will collect an annual fee charged to each stewardship organization according to market share.

Limited Government
This is a state run program that is an attack on the food industry and restaurants, plastics covered are plastic packaging; and plastic food serviceware generally intended for single use, including plates, cups, bowls, cutlery or straws. It creates a new enforcement unit that is more than just stewardship for recycling, it calls for compliance of worker health and safety requirements, and maintain a website with authorized product manufacturers and collection sites.

Free Markets
Requires manufacturer and food servers to track and document the fate of covered products. Requires participation to operate in the state.

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SB 581/HB 2815 recyclable symbol

VOTE:NO      Date of Post: 02/11/2021      Status of bill: In Committee
Public Hearing   02/16/2021 1:00pm   
Status (overview) of bill: 
https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2021R1/Measures/Overview/SB581
Committee assigned to bill: 
https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2021R1/Committees/SEE/Overview

Send testimony using OLIS Form

This bill prohibits sale of products that make deceptive or misleading claims about recyclability by the symbol on the product. Subject up to $25,000 fine per day. (same as HB 2815)

Personal Choice and Responsibility
The symbol includes a number, ranging from 1 to 7, within a triangle. While you may think nothing of these symbols, they can actually offer a great deal of information regarding the toxic chemicals used in the plastic, how likely the plastic is to leach, how bio-degradable the plastic is, and ultimately the safety of the plastic. Plastic #1 is recycled into tote bags, furniture, carpet, paneling, fiber, and polar fleece. Plastic #2 is typically opaque and picked up by most curbside recycling programs. This plastic is one of the 3 plastics considered to be safe, and has a lower risk of leaching, such as milk jugs. Plastic #3 is used to make food wrap, plumbing pipes, and detergent bottles, and is seldom accepted by curbside recycling programs. Numbers 4-7 are various plastics that can be reused and recycled. Educating consumers on the number system and how to recycle each is more productive.

Limited Government
Overreach of government. Every county has different levels of recycling. The “Chasing arrows symbol” simply means it is recyclable if the county is equipped to recycle which ever number appears in the triangle. Packaging labels and recycling symbols help us to identify how different types of packaging can be recycled. The answer isn’t a one size fits all answer with a heavy fine.

Local Control
Centralizing all counties to one recycling requirement could be expensive for some counties.

Free Markets
It puts manufacturers in a tough position to label to fit all counties and multiple states. Adding a label that the product may not be accepted for recycling solves nothing, and would lead to all products having meaningless words.