(1) Except as otherwise provided by rules adopted by the Environmental Quality Commission under subsection (4) of this section, a disposal site may not accept solid waste generated outside the county in which the disposal site is located unless the Department of Environmental Quality certifies or, for waste that originates outside Oregon in an amount exceeding 75,000 tons annually from a single source generator or wasteshed, the disposal site operator demonstrates to the department, that the person responsible for solid waste management in the area from which the solid waste originates has implemented an opportunity to recycle that:

(a) For waste originating outside Oregon, achieves either a recovery rate equivalent to that achieved in a comparable county in Oregon or a recycling and waste prevention program equivalent to the opportunity to recycle in ORS § 459A.005 (1)(a) and (2) and the program elements in ORS § 459A.007; and

(b) For waste originating inside Oregon, meets the requirements of ORS § 459.250 and 459A.005 to 459A.085.

(2) The commission shall adopt rules to establish a program for certification of recycling programs established by a person in order to comply with the requirement of subsection (1) of this section. A contract or agreement for the disposal of solid waste made between an owner or operator of a disposal site and a person does not affect the authority of the commission to establish or modify the requirements established under subsection (1) of this section.

(3) For each area outside the state from which a disposal site receives solid waste, the disposal site has two years after first accepting solid waste from the area to demonstrate how the area complies with the requirements of subsection (1) of this section. The disposal site operator shall provide written notice to the department prior to first accepting solid waste from outside the state. The requirements of this subsection apply only to contracts entered into after September 9, 1995.

(4) The commission shall establish by rule the amount of solid waste that may be accepted from outside the county in which the disposal site is located before the person must comply with the requirements set forth in subsection (1) of this section.

(5) Subject to prior approval of the Oregon Department of Administrative Services, and within the budget authorized by the Legislative Assembly as that budget may be modified by the Emergency Board, the Department of Environmental Quality may establish a certification fee in accordance with ORS § 468.065. The fees may not exceed the cost of the program.

(6) The certification requirement under subsection (1) of this section does not apply to a person implementing a waste reduction program under ORS § 459.055.

(7) Notwithstanding any other provision of law relating to solid waste disposal, if the laws of the state of origin prohibit or restrict the disposal of any kind of solid waste within the state of origin, the prohibition or restriction also applies to the disposal of the solid waste in Oregon. [1987 c.876 § 6; 1989 c.541 § 3; 1991 c.703 § 8; 1991 c.765 § 9; 1993 c.560 § 38; 1995 c.541 § 2; 1997 c.807 § 1; 2003 c.14 § 291; 2015 c.534 § 15; 2023 c.602 § 11]