Pendleton Sanitary Services $8 increase goes into effect July 1
Customers of Pendleton Sanitary Services Inc (PSSI) will see an $8 increase in fees this summer to fund mandated comingled recycling.
The Oregon Legislature passed Senate Bill 582, the Plastic, Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act (RMA) in 2021. The bill went into effect on Jan. 1, 2022, and requires all cities with a population of 4,000 or more offer co-mingled or mixed recycling by July 2025. In Pendleton, this means each PSSI customer with a green garbage cart – either 32-gallon or 96-gallon – will receive a blue 96-gallon recycling cart. Recycling will be collected every other week; garbage collection will remain weekly.
Pendleton Sanitary Services began offering commingled recycling at its recycle depots in October, and customers will begin receiving the blue containers in June.
Accepted recyclable materials are listed in the Uniform Statewide Collection List and include paper, cardboard, milk jugs, and some scrap metal weighing less than 10 pounds. Prohibited items include glass, food waste, liquids, and batteries. Customers will receive a copy of the PSSI Recycling Guide, and PSSI has a flyer available with a commingled recycling guide and recycling tips as well. Information on recycling other items, such as appliances, and motor oil, is available on the PSSI recycling webpage or by contacting the company directly.
Pendleton City Council, Pendleton Sanitary Services, and the Solid Waste Advisory Board have discussed comingling recycling multiple times since 2021, including at Pendleton City Council meetings on April 19, 2022, April 18, 2023, April 2, 2024, and May 6, 2025. The co-mingled recycling requirement has also been communicated in multiple ways, including on social media, in the City of Pendleton Newsletter (November 2023) and in the company’s newsletter (March 2025), mailed to all PSSI customers.
“We know it is never a good time to increase costs, but this is a mandated service with costs associated with it,” City Manager Robb Corbett said. “We have tried to let residents know this was coming, and Pendleton Sanitary Services has not increased fees despite the consumer price index rising to ease the burden on users.”
For most residential customers, the fee increase will be $8 a month. For multi-family complexes – those with 300-gallon garbage containers – the increase will be $24 per month. All customers will be charged for the service; however, customers are not mandated to use it if they choose not to. The $8 fee was first presented in 2023 to cover the cost of the additional delivery and recycling. That fee amount has not increased with inflation.
Although Pendleton Sanitary Services is a separate company from the City of Pendleton, because the company provides an essential service, the Pendleton City Council does approve any rate increases.
On Tuesday, April 7, 2026, Pendleton City Council members officially adopted the fee increase, which will go into effect on July 1.
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The City of Pendleton is a vibrant and active community with a rich heritage and a lively history. Located at the base of the Blue Mountains in Eastern Oregon, Pendleton is well known for its world-class Pendleton Round-Up rodeo, a thriving arts culture and many historic attractions. To learn more, visit www.pendletonor.gov
Pendleton Sanitary Service Inc provides daily to weekly franchised residential, commercial and industrial collection as well as recycling services to the City of Pendleton and the outlying areas of Umatilla County More information is available at www.pendletonsanitaryservice.com/
- March 9, 2026