Tag 03 · Statute & history

Oregon's electronics recycling law, and what changed in 2026

Oregon E-Cycles exists because of a statute: Oregon's Electronics Recycling Law, codified in ORS chapter 459A. It is an "extended producer responsibility" law — manufacturers, not taxpayers, pay for collecting and recycling the products they sell. Here is how it developed and what the 2023 rewrite changed.

Timeline

Date	Event
2007	Legislature creates the E-Cycles program
2009	Free collection begins
Jan. 1, 2010	Ban on disposing of computers, monitors and TVs takes effect
Late 2021	One program operator announces it will drop several collection sites to match minimum state requirements
July 2022 – Jan. 2023	DEQ holds five modernization workshops; participants reach agreement by a 23–1 vote
2023	Gov. Tina Kotek signs House Bill 3220
July 1, 2025	DEQ receives 2026 program plans from Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations and MRM
Jan. 1, 2026	Modernized program begins; most HB 3220 changes become operative
Aug. 25, 2026	DEQ issues its formal response to MRM's plan for the 2027 program year

How the original law worked

Under the pre-2026 system, manufacturers had to label and register their brands with DEQ, pay a registration fee and join a recycling program — either the DEQ-administered State Contractor Program or a qualifying manufacturer-run program. Programs had to provide a collection site in every city of 10,000 or more people and collection service in every county. Retailers could sell only brands DEQ listed as compliant and had to give buyers information about Oregon E-Cycles. Covered products were computers, monitors, TVs, printers, keyboards and mice.

What HB 3220 changed

Topic	Before 2026	From Jan. 1, 2026
Covered devices	Computers, monitors, TVs, printers, keyboards, mice	Adds VCRs, music players, DVD players, game consoles, converter boxes, cable and satellite receivers, routers, modems; the statute also lists fax machines, scanners and small-scale servers
Who runs it	State Contractor Program or manufacturer program	State contractor option eliminated; manufacturers fund producer responsibility organizations (PROs) under DEQ-approved plans
PRO rules	—	PROs need not be nonprofits but must each represent at least 5% of manufacturer obligations; multiple PROs coordinate through a coordinating body
Convenience	One site per city of 10,000+; DEQ "collections determination"	More sites scaled to city population; 95% of residents within 15 miles; determination process eliminated
Equity	Not addressed in statute	Convenient, equitable service required, including rural and historically underserved communities
Reuse	Reuse goals	Goals removed; PROs must coordinate with reuse programs and refurbishers; sites may refurbish and resell devices
Site removal	—	90 days' notice to DEQ, nearby sites and the public if a site will leave every network
Small manufacturers	—	Exempt if selling fewer than 50 covered devices a year in Oregon
Who can recycle free	Households, organizations of 10 or fewer, anyone with 7 or fewer devices	No change
Disposal ban	TVs, monitors, computers	No change

Key sections, in plain words

ORS 459A.305 — definitions, including the list of covered devices and the exclusions (telephones of any type; vehicle parts; parts of industrial, commercial or medical equipment; parts of major appliances). Details on our covered devices page.
ORS 459A.330 — collectors may not charge covered entities a fee for collecting, transporting or recycling covered devices, except for the added cost of a premium service.
ORS 459A.335 — retailers may sell covered devices only under brands on the state's compliant list, and must give buyers information on how to recycle in Oregon.
ORS 459.247 — the disposal ban: no one may dispose of covered devices, and disposal sites may not knowingly accept them.

The administrative rules that implement the law are in OAR chapter 340, division 98.

The program today

DEQ's 2026 page lists two organizations that submitted plans for the first program year, Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations and MRM. For 2027, DEQ received one plan, from MRM, on July 1, 2026, took public comment until August 9, and issued its formal response on August 25, 2026. Manufacturers must register with DEQ, report sales data each year, designate a PRO and fund the program. DEQ also notes that some content in the plans was redacted as confidential, and that it had not yet ruled on those claims.

Oregon passed a separate battery recycling law in 2026; see batteries and bulbs.