Oregon, OH Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)

21, Recyclable Refuse, part of Chapter 507 (Anti-Litter Regulations), fixes ownership the moment a resident places recyclables in an approved City recycling container at the streetline in accordance with the City's terms: at that point the items become the property of the City of Oregon. The section then makes it a violation of the chapter for anyone not authorized by the City to collect, pick up, or cause the collection or pickup of those items, and it specifies that each unauthorized collection or pickup from any location is a separate and distinct offense.

This is the City's tool against 'cart-picking' or scavenging, where someone other than the licensed hauler removes cans, bottles, or cardboard from a bin before the scheduled truck arrives, undercutting the value of the municipal recycling stream and creating a public nuisance along the curb. 21's second-offense treatment out of the chapter's baseline minor-misdemeanor penalty. Enforcement runs through the Division of Police, which can act on a report of unauthorized removal without needing the resident to prove financial loss, since the ordinance's property transfer language does the work. The rule was adopted by Ordinance 159-1990, passed October 8, 1990, and has not been altered by later amendments in the chapter.