Did you know that Oregon was the first state to enact a “bottle bill”?
The law placed a 5-cent deposit on most single-use beverage containers made of plastic, glass or metal up to 1.5 liter sizes.
The bill was modified in 2007 to include bottled water (check out last month’s Trash Talk about plastic water bottles; if you didn’t read it, check the Herald and News online for October 26 “Business” section); and more recently in 2017 to increase the deposit to 10 cents.
The increased deposit was enacted to improve the redemption rate.
It was quite successful, increasing overall collection from 64.3 percent in 2016 to 73.3 percent in 2017.
The Oregon Bottle Bill program is enforced by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, and administered by the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative (OBRC).
The containers for the above beverages must be three liters or less in size.
All other beverages (except distilled liquor, wine, dairy and plant milks, infant formula and meal replacement drinks) can be redeemed if the container size is from 4 ounces up to 1.5 liter, and include but is not limited to: In 2015, a staffed BottleDrop Center was opened in Klamath Falls at 2702 Eberlein Avenue to make redemption of bottles and cans easier and more efficient.
There are also self-serve reverse vending machines where you can redeem up to 350 containers per day; or you can use the hand count system, where a staff member will count the containers if you have 50 or fewer.
Your refund can be collected at the center in the form of cash or added to your account card, or you can print a voucher and redeem for cash at a participating retailer.