Bright orange tags that declare “This item has been illegally dumped,” are appearing on discarded sofas, mattresses and other bulky items left on street corners as part of a new effort to stop illegal dumping, clean up neighborhoods and reduce costs to Metro’s solid waste rate payers.

During its first council meeting with newly elected President Tom Hughes and District 1 Councilor Shirley Craddick, the Metro Council passed a resolution introduced by Councilor Rex Burkholder and co-sponsored by Craddick to support a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags at retail stores. Although the Metro resolution doesn’t affect actual policy, it’s a strong sign of solidarity with the legislation’s proponents. Plastic bags cannot be recycled curbside but frequently get mixed with other recyclables and clog sorting machines at material recovery facilities. They account for as much as 30 percent of overall labor costs at local recycling facilities. Plastic bags also don’t biodegrade and instead often make it into waterways where they accumulate and harm marine life. The cities of Portland and Lake Oswego have already passed similar resolutions, as have municipalities and countries across the world including Los Angeles County, Italy, Ireland, the UK and parts of Australia.