County reviews small Recycle Plus curbside program and options to expand

Clackamas County staff updated the Solid Waste Commission on Jan. 22 about Recycle Plus, an optional on-call curbside collection program for selected materials that the county and several cities offer to urban residents.

Staff described Recycle Plus as an urban program designed for route efficiency and listed participating jurisdictions (urban unincorporated county areas and the cities of Canby, Gladstone, Happy Valley, Oregon City, West Linn and Wilsonville). For 2025, staff reported about 260 combined customers across county and cities (county-only customers about 140) and estimated county-only annual volume at roughly 6,390 gallons (18-gallon bins), amounting to about 2.5 pickups per customer per year.

Collectors and private haulers told the commission they have used newsletters, invoices, neighborhood meetings and customer-service outreach to promote the program and that they will offer the service to nearby rural customers on request. One hauler said customers often prefer smaller "milk-box style" containers to the county’s purple bin and suggested an app could improve customer experience.

Commissioners discussed whether the program should expand beyond the current urban footprint after the survey showed a number of comments requesting more curbside recycling or drop-off options. Staff emphasized the program is still small and that any expansion would be considered where route efficiency and demand support it.

No formal action was taken; staff said collectors will receive detailed survey comments and staff will continue to coordinate outreach and metrics reporting.