Jackson County had one of the 10 best recycling rates in the
state for 2011, but also had one of the highest tonnages for
total trash disposed, according to a report from the Oregon
Department of Environmental Quality. The report shows Jackson
County recycled or reused about 47.6 percent of its garbage,
which includes 6 percentage points in credits for prevention,
reuse and residential composting. Of the 239,754 tons of garbage
Jackson County generated last year, 99,781 tons were sorted out
for recycling and reuse, the report shows. The other 139,973
tons went into landfills. Nearby Josephine and Douglas counties
both saw higher recovery rates, at 55 percent and 48.9 percent,
respectively. Lane County saw the highest recovery rate in the
state, recycling 61.5 percent of its 485,043 tons of garbage.
Wheeler County's 12.9 percent recovery rate — 61.6 tons of 479.1
tons total — was the lowest.