How Oregon’s Bottle Bill does — or doesn’t — play into the state’s drug crisis

Oregon’s Bottle Bill, which offers cash refunds for empty bottles and cans, was a landmark piece of legislation when it first passed in 1971.

Since then, it’s served as a model for similar bills in nine other states and led to some of the highest recycling rates in the nation.

According to the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative, which runs the beverage container return program, Oregon had a 90.5% redemption rate in 2023.

“The national average is around 35%, so it’s a staggering difference in terms of how many containers are being recycled, preventing litter along our roadsides, our beaches, our special places across the state,” said Eric Chambers, vice president of strategy and outreach for OBRC.

The bill was originally intended to discourage littering as single-use containers became the norm for beverage distributors.