The Oregon Bottle Bill is a container-deposit legislation enacted in the U.S. state of Oregon in 1971 that went into effect in October 1972. It was the first such legislation in the United States. It was amended in 2007 and 2011. It requires applicable beverages in applicable sizes in glass, plastic or metal cans or bottles sold in Oregon to be returnable with a minimum refund value. The refund value was initially 5 cents until April 1, 2017, when it increased to 10 cents. The Oregon Legislature has given the Oregon Liquor Control Commission the authority to administer and enforce the Bottle Bill. Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative (OBRC), a private cooperative owned by retailers and beverage distributors, administers the collection and transportation of returned containers and keeps all the unclaimed deposits. Materials from returned containers are sold by the OBRC and proceeds are handed out to beverage distributors. In 2022, the bottle bill was expanded to include canned wine which became redeemable on July 1, 2025.
When passed in 1971, the bottle bill was viewed primarily as a litter control measure. In 1971, bottles made up about 40% of litter, 10.8% in 1973 and 6% in 1979. Oregon DEQ reports that the reduction is "as a result of the law" referring to the Bottle Bill. In a 2006 publication it was reported that states without similar bills recycle on average 33% of their containers.Gitlitz, Jenny & Franklin, Pat. (2006) Container Recycling Institute. The 10 Cent Incentive to Recycle" A 2016 study by Campbell, Benjamin, et al. found bottle deposit law only had a small impact of about 3% for clear glass and aluminum recycling rate when bottle deposit law coexists with municipal recycling programs. The redemption rate in the 1980s was around 90%. Negative return experiences such as discomfort and inability to return due to retailers failing to keep machines in working order have led to the decline in redemption rate to about 65% by 2015. In 2015, more than 80% of Oregonians lived where curbside recycling is provided. In the same year, the Oregonian's editorial board posited that the bottle deposit has become more redundant as curbside recycling became more common. State law requires retailers and redemption centers to pay the refund value to consumers presenting containers covered under the bottle bill. Beverage distributors charge the initial deposit on shipments of beverages to retailers, who in turn pass it onto customers, however, charging deposit to consumers is not required by state law.Bottle Bill 101 information session at House Committee On Energy and Environment May 2, 2019 1:00 PM - Jules Bailey, Chief Stewardship Officer, Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative. 1 hr 7 min at: http://oregon.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?clip_id=26771&meta_id=1356197 Despite the requirement by state law on beverage retailers to accept bottle returns, unlawful refusal by retailers is common. Beverage distributors retain all deposits not reclaimed by consumers. The 2022 statewide redemption rate for containers subject to deposit was 85.5%.
Starting in the early 2010s, OLCC approved redemption centers run by distributors; there were 16 of them by April 2017. Several redemption centers have been plagued with issues revolving around transients, crime and drug activities. Community objections to redemption center proposals have revolved around these issues.
Portland, Multnomah County and state officials have said drug addicts use bottle returns to fund their fentanyl purchase. New temporary rules went into effect on June 4, 2025 which allows retailers to limit returns to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and allows retailers within the City of Portland that accept "green bag" drop offs to cease accepting loose containers for immediate redemption.
Covered beverages The refund value has been 10 cents since April 1, 2017 and it applies to covered beverages in cans or bottles made from metal, glass or plastic.
3 liters or less Source: Water and flavored water Beer or other malt beverages carbonated soft drinks. kombucha hard seltzer
4 oz to 1.5 liters Any beverages other than the above in sizes 4 oz to 1.5 liters in metal, glass or plastic containers are subject to a 10 cent refund value. Some milk based products such as kefir, drinkable yogurt, milk-based smoothies and milk or plant-based milk with other ingredients that have been previously excluded were enrolled into the Oregon Bottle Bill in January 2020, but the OLCC reversed the decision on February 5, 2020.
exclusions to the refund value requirements Sources: distilled spirits (liquor). Canned cocktails are considered liquor. wine, including mead and hard cider over 8.5% ABV packaged in containers other than metal cans. milk and plant based milk infant formula vinegar (except drinking vinegar) flavoring and condiments, including juices not normally drunk without mixing, like lemon and lime juice concentrates and syrup meal replacements
Senate Bill 1520 (canned wine) 2022 expansion to Oregon Bottle Bill made canned wine redeemable and went info effect on July 1, 2025.
Deposit redemption Bag drop off redemption Bulk redemption of Oregon bottles by bag drop was introduced in 2010. In this redemption method, consumers create an account and fill designated bags with empty containers and drop off the filled bags to a participating location. They're collected and taken to a processing center and refund value is credited to the consumer's account after they have been counted. By February 2024, one in four households in Oregon had a bag account. State audit reported that consumers have complained about accuracy of the counting process, but found the program generally works well. The audit identified an instance where the OBRC incorrectly counted against a usage quota and commented that they were unable to identify where discrepancy came from due to account only shows the current balance without revealing credit for each bag.
Reception The redemption operator OBRC is rated "B+" by the Better Business Bureau as of June 2025 with the reasoning of having 21 complaints.
Concerns around fraudulent conduct Theft from curbside bins and receptacles It is unlawful under Oregon Revised Statutes 459A.080 to remove recyclable containers set aside for collection by a city or county collection service without the permission of the owner or generator of the contents, which includes going through curbside bins for containers with deposit value. It is also unlawful to remove recyclable material from a container, box, vehicle, depot or other receptacle for the accumulation or storage of recyclable material without permission of the receptacle's owner. Violation of ORS 459A.080 is a class A misdemeanor criminal offense per ORS 459.992(1)(d) In the Oregon Supreme Court case State v. Waterhouse, defendant, a scrapper, was found guilty of intentionally appropriating scrap metal having some value to himself.
Issues attributed to refundable container thefts
In December 2018, The Columbian reported neighbors in the Cascade Park neighborhood in Vancouver, Washington near the Oregon border have noticed thefts of cans and bottles as well as the curbside bins. A district manager for Waste Connections reported its subsidiary Columbia Resource Company that handles Clark County, Washington saw a 9% reduction in glass bottles returned after the deposit increased from 5 cents to 10 cents in Oregon in 2017. He attributes the likely cause to theft. Removal of contents from recycling bins or nearby them without the consent of the generator or the hauler is prohibited in Clark County. Waste Connections did not provide an exact number on thefts from recycling bins, but reported enough is removed and taken to Oregon to have a financial impact for Waste Connections which sells recyclable materials collected. The Columbian reported in June 2019 that reports of scavengers rummaging through recycling bins have increased in the past year. The newspaper reports scavengers target cans and bottles that have value across the Columbia river which undercuts the hauler as well as generating complaints from the public. Marty Smith, writing for the Willamette Week reports that community members in Vancouver started complaining about theft of cans and bottles from their recycling bins. To better track complaints related to recyclables scavenging, the Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency (CRESA), the police dispatch for Clark County is looking into a way of tracking scavenging complaints. In Washington state, scavenging is a crime of third degree theft. According to the city of Vancouver, scavenging is considered by law enforcement to be a gateway crime to other crimes such as illegal drugs and identity theft.
A video on the internet showing a woman dumping water into the sink at the BottleDrop redemption center in 2017 caused a community outrage and resulted in the woman being cited for theft of $40 worth of bottled water from Albertsons. Police commented that as she was seen cashing stolen goods, it could be a felony.
In a 2018 concession stand burglary at Douglas McKay High School in Salem, burglars emptied out about ten cases of 24-pack beverages into a trash can inside the concession stand and stole the empty containers. School staff believed the theft motive was converting the stolen containers into cash at the nearby OBRC BottleDrop redemption center on Lancaster Drive.
In September 2019, Recology, a waste hauler operating in Ashland told the Ashland Tidings that in addition to theft, its drivers were experiencing harassment by emboldened recyclables thieves that they had to improvise plans to deal with theft and harassment of drivers by thieves. Recology receives many calls from customers concerning people going through their bins. The company recommends people to not put out their redeemables, donating them to charities or redeeming them themselves to reduce this problem.
Oregon DEQ survey reports over half of 77 multi-family property managers interviewed identified the use of waste collection area by non-tenants, such as transients, a problem that cause issues such as contamination of recyclable materials. Oregon DEQ opined retrieval of returnable containers as the motivation for transients and other non-tenants to access the collection areas.
Redemption of previously redeemed containers Jules Bailey, the chief stewardship officer for OBRC, told the Mail Tribune there have been instances of people attempting to redeem cans that have already been redeemed through a machine.
Fraudulent redemption of out-of-state containers