Wholesalers sue Oregon over new statewide recycling program

The $8 trillion wholesale product distribution industry is challenging a four-year-old Oregon recycling law weeks after the law took effect.

The Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act, passed by the state Legislature in 2021, was meant to create statewide standards for what can and cannot be recycled and established new packaging fees for companies that sell products in Oregon. The fees, based on the weight and recyclability of the material, are meant to require product manufacturers and distributors to cover some of the end-of-life costs for disposing of their packaging — costs that are currently borne by the businesses and Oregonians who have to pay for the garbage.

Products with less packaging and with reusable packaging carry lower fees than goods packaged in bulky plastics and single-use materials, ideally encouraging producers to choose lighter, more sustainable materials. It follows regulations in Oregon in recent years that require manufacturers to pick up some of the end-of-life costs of paint, mattresses and electronics, or to invest in programs to recycle such products.

But on July 30, about three weeks after the law was implemented and manufacturers received their first bills, the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors sued the state in U.S. District Court in Portland to stop it from continuing, claiming the law is unconstitutional. The association is a trade group representing what it says is the $8.2 trillion wholesale distribution industry.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/08/05/weeks-after-launching-new-statewide-recycling-program-oregon-sued-by-wholesalers/