PORTLAND, Ore. -- Big recycling changes around Oregon are raising questions about what you can and can't put in your blue bin.
The answer: In the Portland metro area nothing is changing, at least for now.
If an item has been on the Metro recycling guide, it is still OK to recycle.
In addition, you can put those items in your blue bin knowing that almost all of them are actually being recycled.
According to Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality, less than two percent of recyclable items are ending up in the landfill these days.
A small amount considering China, which was the country's largest buyer of recycled materials, stopped buying them at the start of the year.
"We don't anticipate any short-term changes in the Portland area. The biggest thing people can do right now is to stick to the list and put those things that belong in the recycling in the recycling in our area," said Metro recycling manager Pam Peck.
The only difference you may see is on the garbage bill. That's because processors are now having to pay recycling companies to take our materials. A cost that may soon be passed down to consumers.