Oregon enacts producer responsibility bill to move beyond plastic

Oregon is leading the way toward a future where the companies most responsible for plastic pollution are the ones who pay to clean it up.

On Aug. 6, Gov. Kate Brown signed the country’s second-ever statewide producer responsibility bill into law. Plastic producers in Oregon will now be required to cover some of the costs of managing the waste their products become — a crucial step toward cutting out single-use plastics altogether and moving our country toward zero waste.

“For years, producers of wasteful single-use plastic products have somehow avoided paying up,” said OSPIRG State Director Charlie Fisher. “This law begins to change that by requiring producers to start bearing some of the costs of the waste management system.”

To continue taking on the single-use plastics that we use just once but pollute our communities for a lifetime, OSPIRG is building momentum in the Legislature and in communities across Oregon for a statewide ban on polystyrene foam items.

Read more.

Learn more about our other campaigns to move Oregon beyond plastic.