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Oregon's Bottle Bill & Redemption Centers

Oregon’s Bottle Bill establishes laws that require stores and distributors to accept certain empty beverage containers and pay a 10-cent refund value for each container.  All stores under 5,000 square feet in size must accept container returns.  Most stores 5,000 or more square feet in size must also accept container returns.  Stores that do not have to accept container returns are listed in the Zone 1 column in the Redemption Centers - Complete List found below.  Stores that must accept container returns must accept them on all days and at all hours they are open, whether they have reverse vending machines for accepting the containers or not.

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Through May 31, OLCC did not enforce the requirement for retailers to accept empty beverage container returns. With the Governor's reopening plan underway, OLCC will link compliance enforcement to the phase a county is in (Baseline, Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3).

  • Baseline Phase
    • OLCC will continue to not enforce the requirement to accept container returns for retailers in counties that have not entered Phase 1 until the time that they enter Phase 1.
  • Phase One
    • Two weeks after a county enters Phase 1 of the Governor's plan to reopen Oregon, retailers in that county will be required to resume accepting empty beverage containers from customers, both through their reverse vending machines and by hand count. 
    • The number of empty containers retailers are required to accept remains the same as prior to the non-enforcement, either 24, 50, or 144 containers per person per day. 
    • Stores may limit hours from 8 AM to 6 PM except for 24-hour stores, which may limit their hours from 7 AM to 11 PM. 
  • Phase Two
    • Two weeks after counties have entered Phase 2, retailers in those counties may limit hours from 8 AM to 8 PM, except for 24-hour stores, which may continue to limit their hours from 7 AM to 11 PM.
    • The number of empty containers retailers are required to accept remains the same as prior to the non-enforcement, either 24, 50, or 144 containers per person per day.

Find the date each county entered each phase and the date required for resumptions to have begun: Date By County for Bottle Bill Redemption Return (08/21/2020).

Many people have been saving their empty beverage containers, and while we want to give customers a chance to return their accumulated containers, we also don't want to cause unsafe conditions. Our industry partners, including Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative and Northwest Grocers Association, are creating systems to accommodate returns while maintaining physical distancing and other requirements to ensure the safety of customers and store personnel.

BottleDrop redemption centers, operated by the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative (OBRC), will remain open. OBRC will also continue to operate BottleDrop Express drop sites and dealer redemption centers.

With the passage of Senate Bill 247, effective September 29, 2019, all hard seltzers and kombuchas are included in the Bottle Bill and have an Oregon 10-cent refund value if in metal, glass, or plastic bottles or cans in sizes 3 liters or less. Manufacturers have until January 1, 2021 to ensure that OR 10¢ is clearly indicated on hard seltzer and kombucha containers. Even if the containers do not have OR 10¢ on them, a deposit may be charged on them and they are redeemable.

The 2019 Oregon Legislature established dealer redemption centers (DRCs) and set out their requirements in ORS 459A.741.  DRCs, or partner retailers, are stores that have partnered with BottleDrop and provide a drop off location for BottleDrop bags.  Not every bag drop-off location is a DRC.  A DRC will have a sign posted near the drop door that will identify it as a dealer redemption center.  The store will also have an OLCC notice posted in its container return area (which is not necessarily near the drop door) identifying it as a DRC and indicating that the store may limit returns to 24 containers per person per day. 

OLCC will update the list of redemption centers when it is notified that a new DRC has opened.  The list can be found here. Notification is required within 14 days after a DRC has opened, so the OLCC's redemption center list may not always be current.  Customers can also check for dealer redemption centers/partner retailers at https://www.bottledropcenters.com/locations/.

DRCs must have their drop doors available for the return of green and blue bags from 8 AM to 8 PM if the stores are open during those hours.  BottleDrop account holders will not be charged a processing fee for bags deposited at a DRC, and those bags will not count toward the 15 bag per quarter limit for green bags.  All other BottleDrop terms and conditions apply.

Stores with a DRC must continue to accept container returns outside BottleDrop's green and blue bag account programs at all hours the stores are open, but may limit these returns to 24 containers per person per day.  These returns would be by hand count or through a self-service machine.

DRCs can be in a city of any size.  In most cases, the establishment of a DRC does not affect the number of containers that stores in their proximity must accept.  However, if a DRC is established in a town with a population of less than 10,000, stores within a one-mile radius of the DRC can also limit returns to 24 containers per person per day if they meet certain requirements.

Quick Links

Most beverages that are sold in sealed glass, metal, and plastic cans and bottles have an Oregon refund value if in two different sizes ranges.  



​Retailers in Oregon who sell or offer for sale beverages included in the Bottle Bill must in most cases accept container returns. Use this form to provide information on your business so OLCC staff can determine if you must accept container returns, and if you must how many and what types. Staff will email you the sign appropriate for your business, along with other information for helping you to be in compliance with Oregon’s Bottle Bill.

Redemption Centers


Applications Received & Public Notices
There are currently no Public Notices or Applications for Redemption Centers.


Redemption Center Application Form

Any person may establish a redemption center, subject to the approval of the OLCC, at which people may return empty beverage containers and receive payment of the 10-cent refund value of those containers.

Redemption centers must provide a convenient service for the return of empty beverage containers.
 
Redemption centers must also serve participating grocery stores that are 5,000 or more square feet in size and located in up to two convenience zones. Each person responsible for the operation of one or more redemption centers shall pay an annual registration fee of $3,000 per redemption center to the OLCC.
 
To request approval as a Beverage Container Redemption Center, please complete the Redemption Center Application.    

Mail the completed form and attachments to: OLCC, Bottle Bill Program, 9079 SE McLoughlin Blvd., Portland, OR 97222 or email to OLCC.BottleBill@oregon.gov.   

 

ORS 459A.718(6)(a) states that by August 1 of each calendar year, the OLCC shall calculate the previous calendar year’s percentage of beverage containers returned for the refund value for each distributor cooperative and for each distributor/importer that does not participate in a distributor cooperative. The OLCC shall carry out the calculation separately for glass, metal, and plastic containers and shall post the percentages on the website. 

In 2019, the Oregon Legislature amended ORS 459A.718 to require a distributor cooperative that serves a majority of the dealers in Oregon to maintain a registry of all beverage containers sold and redeemed in the state.  The Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative (OBRC) is the only distributor cooperative to serve a majority of the dealers in Oregon.  Distributors and importers will now report their information to OBRC no later than April 1 of each year, and OBRC will report those numbers to OBRC by July 1.

2019 Beverage Container Return Data

2018 Beverage Container Return Data

2017 Beverage Container Return Data

2016 Beverage Container Return Data

2015 Beverage Container Return Data

2014 Beverage Container Return Data

2013 Beverage Container Return Data

2012 Beverage Container Return Data


 



Contact

Becky Voelkel
OLCC Bottle Bill Program
503-872-5132 
Toll free: 800-452-6522 (ext. 25132)
OLCC.BottleBill@oregon.gov


Customer Feedback

Please let us know if you have questions or concerns about current Bottle Bill services, including issues with returning your beverage containers to retailers or BottleDrop Redemption Centers.
Customer Feedback Form


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