PORTLAND, Oregon — Oregon is just over a month into a major shift in how recycling works statewide, and the changes could soon be coming to your neighborhood, and in some cases, even your curbside.

Under the Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization ACT — often referred to as the RMA — companies that sell packaged products in Oregon are now financially responsible for helping the state collect and recycle that packaging. This policy, known as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), is the first-of-its-kind in the U.S. specifically for packaging. Other states are quickly following suit, including Minnesota and California, among others.

“Oregon is the first to launch extended producer responsibility for packaging, which is very exciting,” said Kim Holmes, who leads the Oregon team f

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