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OLCC and OBRC detail Oregon bottle bill operations and back an hours-limit bill
Summary
State liquor regulators and the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative described how Oregon’s bottle bill operates, highlighted high redemption rates and new technologies, and said the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission’s agency bill would let retailers refuse returns outside specified hours.
For the record, my name is Craig Prince, the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission’s bottle-bill lead, told the Senate Energy and Environment Committee that “the takeaway is OLCC is the agency that administers the bottle bill.” The informal informational hearing on Jan. 27 included a system overview from OLCC and the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative (OBRC).
The bottle bill began in 1971 to reduce roadside and beach litter and now returns roughly 2,000,000,000 containers a year, OBRC said. The state’s redemption rate was reported at 87.3% in 2023, the highest among bottle-bill states in recent data presented to the committee. Devon Morales, vice president of external affairs for OBRC, said, “Oregon's redemption model is globally touted as best in class because of our nation leading redemption rates.”
Why it matters: lawmakers are weighing bills this session that would change how and when retailers must accept returns and how alternative redemption sites are…
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