Understanding EPR Fee-Setting

Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) like Circular Action Alliance (CAA) divide program costs among producers, using a fee-setting methodology built on principles of fairness.

What is Fee-Setting?

Three Core Components of EPR Fee-Setting

The EPR Fee-Setting Process

Where Producer Fees Drive Impact

Spotlight on Oregon

System improvements & expansion

  • $80 million to be invested statewide to expand recycling access — including 150,000+ new recycling bins and nearly 100 new collection trucks.

  • Funding for 140+ free RecycleOn Centers to collect additional materials not accepted in curbside recycling.

  • Consistent statewide recycling education developed & printed by CAA.

Reducing Contamination

  • $3 per resident to local governments & service providers for anticontamination programs.

  • Contamination Management Fees for sorting facilities to remove non-recyclables.

  • Processor Commodity Risk Fee to buffer global commodity price swings without increasing prices for ratepayers.

Strengthening Recycling

  • Investments in responsible end market (REM) development and auditing to ensure materials are recycled in an environmentally responsible way without causing harm to communities.

  • Statewide outreach campaigns to increase participation and build confidence in Oregon’s recycling system.

Administration and Oversight

  • CAA’s national model shares admin, compliance, and data management across EPR states to reduce duplication and keep Oregon efficient.

  • CAA is building a standard to drive program efficiency across states.