Local Government Recycling System Optimization Project Kick-Off
Circular Action Alliance (CAA), the prospective producer responsibility organization for Oregon’s Recycling Modernization Act (RMA), announced the Oregon Recycling System Optimization Project (ORSOP) kick-off. The purpose of this project is to work with local governments and service providers to:
- Reconcile the proposed rule concept priorities with county and city requests;
- Coordinate city and county requests within counties;
- Highlight geographic considerations that need to be taken into account when scheduling investments; and
- Develop a process for incorporating both local government and related service provider feedback.
ORSOP is Phase II of the Local Government Needs Assessment Survey that was submitted by local governments in April 2023. Gathering the information is critical to ensuring that counties receive funding for the service expansion needs they identified in the April 2023 survey. Time is of the essence — there is no prioritization list for when local governments will be contacted by Resource Recycling Systems (RRS), and this work needs to be completed by July 2024. RRS has begun reaching out to local governments; now is the time to gather the information to prepare for the upcoming negotiations. With this information, CAA will be able to resubmit a revised program plan that outlines the local government system expansion and new program funding requests, and the schedule for funding those investments over the program plan period.
CAA has contracted with RRS to assist with ORSOP outreach to local governments and service providers over the coming months.
CAA has developed a suite of resources to prepare local governments and their service providers for engagement with RRS. These tools will aid in identifying the type of expansion and opportunities local governments and service providers may want to consider and to help them gather and organize the information that will be requested by RRS.
Contributed by: Jen Lewis-Goff | Legislative Affairs Manager
