"These trends should make all Oregonians sit up and take notice. We need to look hard at the resources we use if we want to lessen environmental impacts."
Mary Lou Perry, DEQ solid waste specialist
Portland, Or., US: According to figures released in November by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the 2006 statewide recovery rate has dipped to 47.5 % as per-capita waste generation has reached an all-time high.
However Oregon remains among the nation’s leaders in solid waste recovery and recycling, though it is difficult to compare other states’ performance as each state calculates its recovery rates differently.
In a move to combat waste increases, DEQ is developing a Waste Prevention Strategy, which is expected to be completed in early 2008. For effectiveness, a key part of the strategy will be partnering with businesses, organizations, local governments and the public to reduce waste.
Oregon released the figures from its 15th annual survey of garbage haulers and private recycling and composting companies. The report provides an updated look at how the state is faring in terms of waste generation and waste recovery through recycling, composting and material burned for energy recovery.
DEQ says that the information is important because reduction, recycling, composting and energy recovery of waste material can result in significant greenhouse gas reductions and energy savings. Additionally the recovery of materials conserves scarce natural resources and the numbers also feed into state waste strategies.
Electrical and electronic products have a short life span
Waste generation
Oregon’s total waste generation in 2006 reached a record 5.75 million tons equivalent to 3,118 pounds per Oregonian per year. From 2005 to 2006, total waste generation increased 3.9 percent.
Following two years of failing to meet statewide goals of zero waste generation, by Oregonians, DEQ says that it is ‘stepping up efforts to involve communities, businesses and individuals across the state to reassess the impact of their consumption patterns on solid waste generation’.
Recovery rate
Oregon reached a 47.5% recovery rate in 2006 which was down from 49.1% in the previous year and short of the 2009 goal of 50%. Although the total amount of waste recovered increased marginally in 2006, the amount of waste generated outstripped recovery.
Oregon’s recovery rate includes materials collected from recycling or composting, as well as some material burned for energy recovery.
Environmental benefits
DEQ has estimated that, based on the amount of material recycled (not including composting or energy recovery), energy savings in 2006 amounted to 27 trillion Btu (British thermal units), equivalent of 214 million gallons of gasoline. This is equivalent to 2.4 percent of 2006 estimated total statewide energy use.
In terms of greenhouse gases, reductions from recycling, composting and energy recovery in 2006 equaled 3.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, or 740,000 passenger cars off the road, according to DEQ.
Mary Lou Perry, DEQ solid waste specialist said:
“These trends should make all Oregonians sit up and take notice. We need to look hard at the resources we use if we want to lessen environmental impacts. The amount of materials we generate and consume has a direct bearing on the amount of greenhouse gases and other pollutants emitted into the environment.”
Further information
The complete “2006 Oregon Material Recovery and Waste Generation Rates Report” is available on DEQ’s Web site at:
http://www.deq.state.or.us/lq/pubs/docs/sw/2006MRWGRatesReport.pdf