Why we need marion resourcers

The Marion Resourcers Movement Program is made up of a community engagement volunteer corps focused on sustainable consumption and resourcefulness, saving food, reuse and repair of products, toxics reduction, waste reduction, composting and recycling.

Program volunteers serve as environmental educators and advocates, add value to their communities through on the ground movement building, and create resiliency by outfitting the public with resources to improve the environment in Marion County.

From Salem and Keizer to Woodburn and Hubbard, to Silverton and Gates, Marion Resourcers are making a difference in their communities all across Marion County.

Volunteer Opportunities for Marion Resourcers

  • Community Engagement

    Receive training and outreach materials to help your community learn about sustainable practices. Whether you’re participating in local events or engaging your neighbors, being a Marion Resourcer can help you connect and make a difference in your community.

  • Outreach and Education

    Learn innovative methods and tools to promote sustainability, and share that knowledge with your community. Utilize Marion County resources and other Marion Resourcer volunteers to brainstorm solutions to reduce waste and promote a healthy environment in your community.

  • Waste Reduction Events

    Join Marion County Environmental Services and other community partners to put on events that promote waste reduction education. You could teach others about green cleaners, how to prevent food waste, simple projects to promote reuse and more at these local events.

  • Repair Fairs

    Repair Fairs provide an opportunity for community members to get items repaired for free to prevent them from ending up in the trash. Become a fix-pert or support volunteer at these events to help teach valuable skills and effectively prevent waste.

  • Item Swaps

    Swaps are community events where people can gather items that they no longer use and swap them with others to find something “new-to-you.” These events help people reduce waste, save money, and connect with their community. Past swap events include Halloween costume swaps, toy swaps, and clothing swaps.

Become a Marion Resourcer Now

Oregon’s Recovery Rates

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) sets goals and evaluates how Oregon is doing with waste recovery (i.e recycling) efforts. DEQ reports recovery yearly. In 2021, Oregonians: 

• Generated 6,494,204 tons of waste, up 9.4% from 2020

 • Disposed of 4,046,936 tons into landfills and incinerators, up 17.9% from 2020

• Recovered 2,447,267 tons of material, down 2.2% from 2020. Oregon’s average recovery rate is thus 37.7% of waste generated, down from 2020. 

In Marion County, recovery of materials was 40.5% in 2021, down from 2020. The largest factor reducing the recovery rate for Marion County and Oregon generally was the large increase in disposal. Much of that increase was due to disposal of fire-damaged structures in early 2021 due to an unprecedented wildfire season at the end of 2020. Some 435,000 tons of excess disposal was due to fire debris. The total increase was 614,085 tons, so fire debris accounted for close to 71 percent of the increase in overall disposal. Had fire debris not been generated, state recovery would have been 40.4% in 2021, and the waste generation rate would have only gone up two percent, not nine percent.

The charts demonstrate what can be found on average in residential and commercial trash in Marion County as per the state’s waste composition study.

impact and reporting

Marion County Curbside Residential Waste

Marion County Commercial Waste

Marion Resourcers Impact

Marion Resourcers are hard at work throughout the year, performing outreach on:

  • Repair, reuse, swapping, sharing

  • Food waste prevention

  • Green cleaners and toxics reduction

  • Waste prevention, recycling and composting

In 2023, Marion Resourcers volunteered 712.25 hours, and made 2,026 new community contacts! Across 40 events and outreach opportunities, 29 partners ranging from city jurisdictions, community-based organizations, nonprofits and businesses were engaged through partnership programming. The 712.25 hours contributed an equivalent value of $21,331 to the Marion County community (based on the Independent Sector valuation of volunteer time, $29.95/hour).

Check out the 2023 annual report below to do a deep dive of their work!

Hours Completed

Recycling Modernization (SB 582) and the Future

A landmark piece of legislation, commonly referred to as RMA or the “Recycling Modernization Act” (Plastics Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act officially), passed in August 2021. This bill looks to massively overhaul our recycling system in the state of Oregon and evaluate the life cycle impacts of materials while regulating the producers of those products. A few important changes the measure is bringing come July 1, 2025:

  • Addresses “covered products”: packaging, food serviceware, printing and writing paper

  • Creates a statewide recycling list for curbside recycling. This means the same curbside recycling options will be available no matter the county you reside in

    • Supports bringing recycling to more multifamily apartment and rural communities

    • Creates a separate recycling depot list of expanded materials not accepted at the curb

  • “Eco-modulation” of producer fees to incentivize better design of products that reduce environmental impacts of producing the materials

  • Waste prevention and reuse program that support producers of materials paying into the solid waste system

The Marion Resourcers Movement program will be educating the public on the new legislation and use this information to support improved recycling rates and waste reduction strategies in Marion County.  You can find more information from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

Annual Reports

The program offers an annual report to track success and improvement areas. These reports demonstrate the high value Marion Resourcer volunteers offer local governments, community organizations and the individual volunteers themselves.

Reports provide periodic updates on program goals and metrics, outreach and communication strategies, volunteer hours and details on events and individual projects where volunteer hours are dedicated.