SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Baker Sanitary’s newly introduced curbside recycling service has delivered a strong performance, with collection volumes rising sharply during the initial seven months.
The company gathered 514 tons of recyclable materials between April and October 2026, marking a 54% increase from the 334 tons collected during the corresponding seven-month period last year. The additional recycling also contributed to a roughly 5% reduction in waste transported to Baker Sanitary’s landfill southeast of Baker City between April and September.
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The curbside initiative began in March this year. Residents were provided with new blue, 95-gallon recycling carts. Collections, which operates on a biweekly schedule, alongside weekly garbage pickup, commenced in mid-April, .
The program addresses Oregon’s recycling requirements under legislation enacted in 2021. Baker City, which crossed the 10,000-resident threshold in the 2020 census, previously lacked curbside recycling services.
Collected materials are compressed into bales and transported to approved recycling facilities in Beaverton and Clackamas. Accepted items include cardboard, plastic bottles, aluminum cans, newspapers, magazines and paperback books. Residents can mix eligible materials without sorting them. According to company officials, contamination levels have remained manageable until now.
Unacceptable materials, including batteries, plastic bags, Styrofoam and glass, can still be delivered to Baker Sanitary’s recycling center at 12th and Campbell Streets, authorities noted.