City Council Approves Curbside Recycling Rate
The Hermiston City Council approved a resolution to implement curbside recycling, including adoption of the new monthly service rate and a reduced low-income rate, during its meeting on Monday, November 24.
Under Oregon’s Recycling Modernization Act passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2021, curbside recycling will be required for cities larger than 4,000 population beginning in 2026.
Manufacturers will help fund a portion of the statewide program, but some operational costs remain local responsibilities, including staffing for collection trucks, fuel, maintenance, storage, insurance, and billing administration.
With Council approval, the standard monthly rate for curbside recycling service will be $8, with a low-income rate of $6.80 per month available to qualifying households. The qualifications for the reduced rate match the City’s existing utility assistance program. When combined with other City utility subsidies already available to qualifying households, total assistance per household would be about $518 per year.
The Council additionally reviewed information on whether the City could decline to implement curbside recycling and instead pay state fines. After consultation with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, staff determined that the minimum penalty for non-compliance would be at least $183,000 per year, and up to $9.125 million per year if the state determines the city is not attempting to follow the law.
Customers will not be billed for curbside recycling until service officially begins. Launch timing will depend on the arrival of new trucks and carts and the availability of drivers. Current estimates place implementation sometime in 2026. More information will be made available as the details of the local service startup are determined.
The curbside system will use a single co-mingled cart for plastics, metals, cardboard, and paper. A multilingual recycling guide is available at recycleon.org/oregon/what-can-i-recycle/ for residents preparing for the program’s rollout.
