Oregonians generated more trash in 2003 than ever before. But they recycled more of it than ever before, too.

That was the good and bad news state officials gleaned from results of the latest annual survey of garbage haulers, recycling facilities and composting companies.

The survey, released this week, showed that record-breaking amounts of trash in 2003 were not just a result of population growth. The per-person waste level also rose to 2,798 pounds in 2003, up from 2,724 pounds in 2002.

That means Oregonians generated an average of 7.7 pounds of trash per person per day in 2003, up from 7.5 pounds per person per day in 2002. The long-term trend is more startling, as Oregonians in 1992 generated an average of only 5.7 pounds of waste per person per day.

But officials said they are heartened that Oregonians are now recycling more than ever before.

”It’s encouraging that in these difficult economic times, homeowners and businesses still value and support our recycling programs,” said Jay Donnaway, materials recovery survey coordinator for the state Department of Environmental Quality, in a statement.

Of the 4.95 million tons of total waste generated in Oregon in 2003, 2.16 million tons were recycled in some way. That means 47.3 percent of the total waste generated was recovered and composted, recycled or burned as fuel in a Marion County facility. Marion County has the state’s only waste-to-energy plant.

In 2002, 46.5 percent of the state’s total waste was recovered and recycled in some way.

Donnaway said the reason for the increase in recycling probably had to do with expanded recycling programs for all types of paper.

Also, the market for recycled paper has increased, which in turn encourages municipalities to recycle.

In Deschutes County, 34.6 percent of waste in 2003 was recovered and recycled in some way, up from 32.5 percent in 2002.

Jefferson County also expanded its recycling. In 2003, 22 percent of all waste there was recycled, up from 20.9 percent in 2002.

But in Crook County, recycling actually dropped almost in half. Only 13.8 percent of waste was recycled in 2003, down from 26.8 percent in 2002.

That placed Crook second only to Gilliam as the Oregon county that recycled the least in 2003.

Crook County officials were not available for comment Friday.

The Oregon Legislature in 1999 set a statewide goal to recycle at least 45 percent of all waste by 2005.

That means the state has exceeded its recycling goals for the second year in a row, Donnaway said.

”At the same time, we’re disappointed by the continued increase in waste generation,” he said. ”We’d like to see more Oregonians reduce the amount of waste they generate in the first place while continuing to recycle all they can.”

Officials expressed concern about another state goal to generate no more waste per-person in 2005 than in 2004. Right now, statistics show the state is not on track to meet that goal, Donnaway said.

Lily Raff can be reached at 541-617-7836 or lraff@bendbulletin.com.