Oregon Revamps Bottle Bill

Gov. Kitzhaber has signed into law a vast expansion of the state's bottle bill, ending more than four years of negotiations.

June 10, 2011

SALEM - On Thursday Gov. John Kitzhaber signed into law a revamp of Oregon??s bottle bill, representing only the second edit to the law in its 40-year history, The Oregonian reports.

"This is a great day for Oregon," Kitzhaber said, adding, "This legislation brings Oregon's bottle bill up to date. This bill, this day, has been a long time coming."

The newspaper cites three key changes to the law:

  1. Shift from the in-store collection system to one that relies more heavily, though not exclusively, on off-site redemption centers.
  2. No later than 2018, the types of beverage containers covered would be expanded to include just about any glass, metal or plastic beverage container, except for those that hold milk, wine or liquor.
  3. Increase the current 5-cent deposit to 10 cents if redemption rates fall below 80 percent for two consecutive years.

The state Senate sent the measure to the governor in May. Supporters of the new provisions claimed that the old bottle deposit system was effective but it needed an update, while critics were opposed to raising the deposit, wrote the Statesman Journal.

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