Recycle those hard-to-recycle plastics on January 26 and February 9th. Master Recyclers will collect plastic material that cannot be recycled curbside including buckets, food tubs, plastic bags, lawn furniture, nursery pots, and trays.
Agri-Plas, a recycler located in Brooks, Oregon, will process the collected plastic for recycling into new products. Past Master Recyclers plastic roundup events successfully recycled and found reuse options for over 73 tons of plastic.
Collections will take place:
Saturday, January 26, 9 A.M. to 2 P.M. at:
- Southeast Portland: Floyd Light Middle School 10800 SE Washington
- North Portland: Hosted by Kaiser Permanente West Interstate 3325 N Interstate (off Fremont and Overlook Park)
Saturday, February 9, 9 A.M. to 2 P.M. at:
- Lake Oswego: Hosted by Shorenstein Realty Services LP and Autodesk, Inc.
5400 Meadows Road. - Rock Creek: Westview High School 4200 NW 185th Ave.
Please sort and rinse plastics into the following categories ahead of time:
- Plastic bags (dry cleaning, store sacks, bubble wrap, six-pack rings, zip lock bags, etc.)
- Plant pots and trays (please knock out dirt ahead of time)
- Sort by numbers (bags and pots go in first categories)
- Miscellaneous plastics without numbers: bottle caps, drink lids, DVDs, CDs, CD cases, straws, cereal liners, vinyl, lawn/patio furniture, toys (think slides!), pet igloos, laundry baskets, kiddie pools, and more. (Bring it, we’ll try to take it.)
- Plastic reuse items (good lawn chairs, tables, cat litter buckets, and more)
We are sorry we CANNOT accept:
- Styrofoam blocks, peanuts, food trays, or egg cartons.
- Plastic printed “compostable” or # PLA 7.
- Plastics with a neck (these are accepted in all curbside programs.
- PVC pipe.
- Food-contaminated or dirty plastic.
- Foam or rubber.
- Small toys that have metal in them.
- Plastic with metal or electronics inside (spray bottle nozzles and hand lotion pumps have springs in them; please remove the spring or toss the pump).
For more information visit www.masterrecycler.org
Why hold a plastics round-up?
In many parts of the region, only plastics that have a neck, such as bottles and milk jugs can be recycled at home. A recycling number stamped on plastics doesn’t guarantee they are recyclable; it only indicates the type of resin used in the product. Unstable markets and limited demand from manufacturers make it difficult to recycle more plastic from residences.
Packaging comprises an estimated 20 to 30% of waste in Oregon. Master Recyclers suggest reusing plastic items and selecting products with minimal packaging whenever possible. Buy in bulk, bring your own reusable shopping bag to the store, and don’t hesitate to contact manufacturers about your packaging preferences.
Over the past twelve years, more than 760 people have participated in the Master Recycler program, to motivate people to reduce waste and increase recycling at home and work through outreach and education. Program sponsors are Metro, the City of Portland Office of Sustainable Development, Washington and Clackamas counties, with support from Recycling Advocates and the Department of Environmental Quality.