Rural Deschutes County residents to get new curbside recycling service this summer

(Update: clarifying information, adding video, comments from residents)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Rural residents in Deschutes County will soon be able to roll their recycling carts to the curb for the first time.

After holding a public hearing earlier Wednesday, the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve a plan allowing Republic Services to provide commingled curbside recycling in distant rural areas that currently only have trash pickup. The new service will cover areas south of Sunriver and rural zones north and east of Bend, Redmond and Sisters. It does not cover urban areas like downtown Bend or Redmond.

Households in those areas now receive garbage collection from Wilderness Garbage and Recycling, Bend Garbage and Recycling and High Country Disposal*, but none of those companies offers curbside recycling in those specific zones. Under the approved proposal, all customers will see a $6 monthly increase on their trash bill, whether they choose to participate in curbside recycling or not.

For residents like Kim Lavelle, who lives in one of the affected rural areas, the change has been a long time coming.

“It’s really frustrating. We want to do what’s right. We just can’t. Our hands are tied,” she said, describing the difficulty of recycling without curbside service.

Another resident, Laura, said the extra effort required to haul recyclables to drop-off locations keeps many people from recycling at all.

“It’s definitely an effort. I think a lot of people in our community probably don’t recycle because of the effort. It does take a lot of extra trips and time management, as opposed to having something that you can just do right at your curbside,” Laura said.

With the commissioners’ vote, Republic Services will begin delivering recycling carts to eligible rural customers and is set to start commingled recycling collection after July 1, 2026.

The county says the new service is intended to make recycling more accessible and convenient for residents who have been asking for better options for years.

*Wilderness Garbage and Recycling, Bend Garbage and Recycling, and High Country Disposal are the current trash providers for those specific distant rural zones, even though Republic Services acquired High Country Disposal, Bend Garbage & Recycling, and Deschutes Recycling back in 2019 for urban service in Bend, Redmond, and Sisters.