make companies help pay for disposal costs and incent them to make products that are easier to recycle in the first place,” explains Terryll. “It will also require more transparency and accountability for end markets.” Implementation of the Recycling Modernization Act is, in the words of Gordon, “complicated and still a ways off.” Because of this, both Recycle+ and Ridwell will continue to pick up our plastic waste. Or consumers can make a different choice. “We [at Community Environmental Services] advocate for reuse above all else, which ultimately is about resource sharing,” says Terryll. “In a city like Portland, with a strong reuse community, it’s fairly easy to find most things you need without buying new, through groups like Buy Nothing and community partners like Free Geek and Community Warehouse.” However, even Terryll can’t live a plastic- free existence. “I try to avoid buying things that have packaging that I can’t recycle curbside. That said, I do have a 3-year-old who loves berries, and I end up collecting clamshells from time to time.” Her solution? “I have utilized Ridwell pickup through neighbors in my Buy Nothing group.” Taylor Loewen, Ridwell’s West Coast regional director, at the company’s new Northeast Portland facility 25
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