Deschutes County launches Clean Cart education program in Bend

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Deschutes County Solid Waste, in collaboration with The Recycling Partnership, City of Bend, Cascade Disposal and Republic Services, is launching a Clean Cart education program in residential neighborhoods around Bend. The initiative aims to help residents correctly recycle and reduce contamination in the recycling stream. This program supports Oregon's Recycling Modernization Act.

Over the next several months, crews will place informational tags on residential recycling carts that are set out on scheduled collection days. The tags are designed to help residents identify and avoid common contaminants, which can lower the value of recyclable materials and increase contamination during processing.

Solid Waste Director Jeff Merwin emphasized the program's purpose. "Our goal with this educational program is to help residents identify and avoid common contaminants that don't belong in your recycling cart. 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," Merwin said.

The informational tags placed on carts will clearly list acceptable materials and items that should be kept out of recycling. Common contaminants include plastic bags and film plastic, bagged materials, Styrofoam and food or liquid waste. Plastic bags and film are particularly problematic because they can jam equipment and create safety issues for workers.

The educational program aligns with Oregon's Recycling Modernization Act, which mandates that communities with more than 4,000 residents implement contamination reduction education programs. Residents can find more information about the act or general recycling contamination on the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality website.

For further questions, residents can contact the Deschutes County Solid Waste Department via email at solidwaste@deschutes.org or by phone at 541-317-3163.