Medford, OR Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Defined recyclables
- Newspaper, scrap metal, glass, aluminum, cardboard, paper
- Beverage container recycling
- Exempt from hauler franchise requirement
- Charitable material recovery
- Exempt from franchise if for charity
- Wood waste haulers
- Must file quarterly volume report
- Governing section
- Medford Code § 4.200
Summary
Medford's franchise code defines source-separated recyclables as newspapers, scrap metal, container glass, aluminum, corrugated cardboard, kraft paper and high-grade office paper, and it exempts beverage-container recycling from the City's hauler-franchise requirement entirely.
As used herein "solid waste" means all putrescible and nonputrescible wastes, whether in solid or liquid form, except liquid-carried industrial wastes or sewage hauled as an incidental part of a septic tank or cesspool-cleaning service; the term includes but is not limited to garbage, rubbish, ashes, industrial wastes, swill, demolition and construction wastes, vehicle tires, discarded home and industrial appliances, manure, vegetable or animal solid or semi-solid wastes, and the following source-separated recyclable materials: newspapers, ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal, container glass, aluminum, corrugated cardboard and kraft paper, and high-grade office paper. ... the recycling of used beverage containers on which a deposit was paid by the consumer
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-32, passed May 6, 2026).
Full Breakdown
' Because these materials fall inside the solid waste definition, collecting them for profit is otherwise subject to the same franchise-only rule that governs garbage. 200(1) carves out specific exceptions from that franchise requirement, and one directly targets recycling: subsection (1)(c) exempts 'the recycling of used beverage containers on which a deposit was paid by the consumer,' meaning bottle and can redemption under Oregon's deposit system does not require a City hauler franchise. The code also exempts non-profit or charitable material-recovery collection performed for charitable purposes, and no-charge material recovery collection, from the franchise rule in subsections (1)(a) and (1)(b).
200(3). These are the only recycling-specific rules in the City's solid waste chapter; day-to-day curbside recycling service itself is arranged through the City's franchised residential hauler rather than a separate municipal recycling ordinance.
Violations & Fines
Operating a for-profit recyclable-materials collection route within Medford without a City Council franchise violates Section 4.200(1), the same franchise requirement that applies to garbage collection, unless the collection falls under one of the listed exemptions such as beverage-container or charitable recovery. A wood-waste hauler that fails to file the required quarterly volume report violates Section 4.200(3).
Frequently Asked Questions
What materials does Medford's code define as recyclable?
Do I need a City franchise to collect recyclable beverage containers?
Can a nonprofit collect recyclables in Medford without a franchise?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Medford
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