March 2024

Materials management – what does that mean?

It is thinking intentionally about what we buy; how we use, manage, and dispose of stuff.

In this newsletter you will learn and obtain insights about:

• The R’s and practical ways to consume sustainably
• The recently passed Right to Repair state legislation
• Common questions regarding recyclable items directed to Amanda Watson, our City’s Sustainability manager
• The status of the 2021 Oregon Recycling Modernization Act rulemaking.
• Upcoming events and resources

The Rs

Most of us have heard the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Since that time, there have been creative extensions that include rethinking and refusing. What do these words really mean?   Why are they in a particular order? They are a hierarchy to represent what provides the greatest benefit: benefit to your pocketbook, benefit to the environment.

The ten questions on choosing products for sustainability, help guide thoughtful purchasing decisions.  The first question, Do I really need the product?  can result in thought-provoking alternatives such as sharing or borrowing, inventive solutions as well as more thoughtful and reduced consumption.

Read full story…

Right to repair bill creates opportunities for Lake Oswego residents

Remember when we used to go to the shoe repair shop? Or wait for the repairman to fix our TVs and washing machines? That era ended when the world of cheap goods arrived, and it became more convenient and affordable to toss things out. Repairmen went out of business, and a throwaway mentality took over our society. This even extends to pricey electronic devices. Even though we know about the cost of waste – the dirty oceans, methane escaping from landfills – we often feel forced to buy a new product even when a simple repair would do the trick.

The Oregon legislature just passed a first step solution to e-waste: they thumbed their noses at some of the big tech companies and passed the “Right to Repair” bill.

LOSN proudly sent testimony in support of this bill, which was co-sponsored by Senator Wagner, Representative Nguyen, and others. It is a triple bottom line winner: 1) Helping the environment by reducing e-waste, and cutting the pollution caused by the manufacturing of unneeded replacements, 2) Helping our society by providing more choices for consumers, reducing the digital divide by creating a market for used goods, and leading to new jobs for repairmen, and 3) Helping all of us to become more prosperous as we affordably fix our electronic equipment.

Advocates have been working on this bill since 2019. This year, the bill got bipartisan support, and goes farther than similar bills in other states. It includes:

• A requirement that consumer electronics manufacturers make replacement parts, diagnostic tools, and repair manuals available to consumers and third-party repair shops.
• A prohibition on tech companies blocking third-party components that could replace the manufacturers’ parts.
• A prohibition on sending misleading alerts or warnings about the use of third-party parts to inhibit users.
• A prohibition on inhibiting devices’ performance if consumers install third-party parts.
• Penalties of up to $1,000 a day for violators.

This law builds on Oregon’s tradition of environmental leadership. So, as you buy your next phone, think carefully about the color, shape, and features that you like. That phone could or should be yours for a long, long time.

FAQs: Recycling in LO

Amanda Watson manages the city’s sustainability program, and that includes managing responsibly the waste the city and its people generate. To get answers to some of the recycling questions we all face weekly, we sent her a couple of questions, and she provided answers that we can all use.

For citizens who mean well and intend to recycle as much as we can, it can be daunting to remember exactly what is recyclable. And when we look at a plastic object, we may want to recycle it even though the chart on the refrigerator doesn’t mention it.

To find out many people call Amanda.

Read what Amanda says.

Oregon’s 2021 Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act Pushes Responsible Recycling Upstream to the Manufacturers and Expands the List of What You Can Recycle

For too long the manufacturers of plastics have evaded their responsibility for the piles of discarded plastics that plague the world in so many ways. But that era is coming to an end soon.

Back in 2021, Oregon’s legislature passed Senate Bill 582, the Recycling Modernization Act. It created a method to implement Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for the recyclability of packaging materials sold in Oregon. At that time, Oregon was only one of two states to enact a law of this kind, with Maine having been the first.

The Act directed the DEQ to establish a Recycling System Advisory Council, comprised of representatives from local governments, community-based organizations representing historically underserved groups, small businesses, the recycling industry, processors or material end users, and producers of the products specified in the act. The Council has been hard at work writing the rules that will make this Act a reality.

Read full story…

Resources

Clackamas County sustainability page: https://www.clackamas.us/sustainability

Clackamas county repair fair page: https://www.clackamas.us/recycling/repairfair

Just Porch It distributes useable clothing shoes, bedding, etc., to community groups. Textiles that aren’t usable are sent to be made into rags: https://justporchit.com/

Medication Take Back: https://medtakebackoregon.org/

Community Warehouse, Free Geek, ReStore, Rebuilding Center, SCRAP

New Season for plastic or James’ Events

Metro: https://www.oregonmetro.gov/tools-living/garbage-and-recycling

Metro Find a Recycler: https://www.oregonmetro.gov/tools-living/garbage-and-recycling/find-a-recycler

Repair Finder (includes more than Portland):https://www.portlandrepairfinder.com/

Ridwell Subscription: Picking up hard-to-recycle items:  https://www.ridwell.com/

Upcoming Events

• Lake Oswego April 6, 2024, Adult Community Center, 505 G Ave, Lake Oswego. 10 am to 1pm.
• Wilsonville April 27, 2024, Wilsonville Library, 8200 SW Wilsonville Rd., Wilsonville. 10 am to 1 pm.
• Happy Valley May 4, 2024, Happy Valley Library, 13793 SE Sieben Park Way, Happy Valley. 10am to 1pm.
• Molalla- June 8, 2024, Molalla Library, 201 E 5th St., Molalla. 11am to 2 pm.
• Canby- July 20, 2024, Canby Library, 220 NE 2nd Ave, Canby. 10 am to 1 pm.
• Estacada- August 10, 2024, Estacada Library, 825 NW Wade St., Estacada. 11 am to 2 pm.
• Milwaukie at the Milwaukie Sustainability Fair. September 7, 2024. 10723 SE Main St., Milwaukie. 10 am to 2 pm.  The Sustainability Fair is 10 am to 3 pm.
• This will be outside in the parking lot where the farmer’s market is located.
• Oregon City- October 5, 2024 -Oregon City Library, 606 John Adams St., Oregon City. 10 am to 1 pm.
• Sandy Library November 2, 2024, Sandy Library, 38980 Proctor Blvd., Sandy. 10 am to 1 pm.
• 4/20 Lake OSwego Resource Sustainability Fair
• 4/20 Planet Con PCC Rock Creek Campus. Sustainability Fair. Collection, resource table, free swap table, repair fair: https://www.planetcon.org/

Many thanks to Amanda Watson, Jim Newcomer, Dorothy Atwood, Colleen Johnston and Susan Mead, Master Recycler, for her contributions to this newsletter.