Oregon Senate Passes Plastics Reduction Bill
SB 551 “Beyond the Bag Ban” Reduces Three Types of Single-use Plastic at the Source
Press Release Date: March 11, 2025
Location: SALEM, OR
Contact:
Ashley Blacow | email: ablacow@oceana.org | tel: 1.831.643.9220
Today the senate passed Senate Bill 551 in a bipartisan vote of 22-8 to reduce the environmental, economic, and public health impacts of single-use plastic pollution. Championed by Senator Janeen Sollman, this bill will reduce single-use plastic in three ways: eliminate all plastic film bags at grocery store checkouts and restaurants, phase out single-use plastic hotel toiletries, and allow plastic utensils and condiments to be provided only upon request of the customer. SB 551 now goes to the House of Representatives where it has until May 23 to pass the floor.
“Wasteful disposable plastics like thick plastic checkout bags, tiny shampoo at hotels, and plastic utensils and condiments that you didn’t ask for, aren’t just annoying for consumers, they add unnecessary costs to our Oregon businesses, and are contributing to an ever increasing pile of plastic trash that is harming the environment and public health,” said Oregon Senator Janeen Sollman (SD-15). “Senate Bill 551 is an important step in getting us closer to the zero waste future we’re working to build, and I look forward to my colleagues in the House passing this important bill.”
Senate Bill 551 (“Beyond the Bag Ban”) prioritizes reducing the use and waste of items that are intended for one use, are not accepted in curbside recycling, and are destined to be trash—including thick plastic film bags, small single-use plastic toiletries, utensils, and condiments. These single-use items are among the most common items found as litter at beach and waterway cleanups in Oregon and there are many reusable and refillable alternatives available. The plastic film bag prohibition would take effect on January 1, 2027. Single use plastic toiletries would phase out at lodging establishments with more than 50 rooms starting on January 1, 2027, and for all lodging establishments starting on January 1, 2028. The utensils and condiments provisions would start on July 1, 2026.
Environment Oregon, Oceana, Ocean Conservancy, and Surfrider Foundation issued the following statements in response:
“Senate Bill 551 tackles plastic pollution at the source to address the impacts plastics are having on our oceans, communities, and climate,” said Tara Brock, Oceana’s Pacific legal director and senior counsel. “Oregon is not immune to these impacts. Plastics have been found in Pacific oysters and rockfish off our coast and in every waterway we’ve tested. Oregonians overwhelmingly support state policies that reduce single-use plastic, and we commend Oregon’s senators for listening to their voices.”
“Nothing we use for just a few minutes should pollute the environment for hundreds of years,” said Celeste Meiffren-Swango, state director of Environment Oregon. “Senate Bill 551 will help Oregon continue to shift away from our throwaway culture and build a future where we produce less plastic pollution. We commend the Senate for passing this bill [with bipartisan support] and we look forward to seeing it continue to move through the legislature.”
“This time of year at the coast we now refer to as the ‘plastic debris season,’ the downstream effects of many of these single-use plastic products completely inundate our beaches every winter,” said Charlie Plybon, Oregon Sr. Policy Manager for the Surfrider Foundation, an organization whose volunteers conduct nearly 100 cleanups each year along Oregon’s coast. “These debris events are extremely alarming in scope and it’s evident much of the plastic we find is single use coming downstream from inland sources.”
“While there is no silver bullet to the plastic pollution crisis, research shows that bans work when it comes to reducing plastic pollution,” said Dr. Anja Brandon, Director of Plastics Policy for Ocean Conservancy. “Targeting single-use plastic grocery bags, hotel toiletries, and utensils is particularly effective as they are among some of the most harmful and prevalent forms of single-use plastics found by Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup volunteers. We commend the Senate for passing SB 551 and look forward to helping it move forward.”
