Oregon legislature may make changes to bottle bill
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Oregon's historic bottle bill to recycle cans and bottles could be about to change over growing concerns about safety at the return locations, including convenience stores.
The Oregon legislature is working on making some changes to the law that would limit hours stores would have to accept bottles and cans for recycling. Grocery retailers, both large and small, want to the state to do something about the foot traffic from the homeless and drug dealing.
Oregon's landmark bottle redemption law may change due to concerns over drugs and homelessness
Store owners, especially those at all-night convenience stores, said their staffs feel threatened at times.
Along with limiting hours, lawmakers are looking at allowing alternative redemption centers, perhaps mobile ones, to accept the recyclables. There is currently no major redemption center in downtown Portland due to concerns about parking, staffing and what kind of activity it might attract.
But that could possibly mean even big stores with an alternative drop site could limit or refuse hand-counted returns.
This Act allows the OLCC to approve a new kind of redemption center and makes other changes to Oregon's Bottle Bill. (Flesch Readability Score: 60.6). [Digest: This Act requires the OLCC to study ways to modernize Oregon's Bottle Bill. (Flesch Readability Score: 63.4).] [Requires the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission to study the modernization of the beverage container redemption and recycling law. Directs the commission to submit findings to the interim committees of the Legislative Assembly related to the environment by September 15, 2026.] Authorizes the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission to approve one or more alternative access redemption centers. Directs the commission to classify two existing convenience zones as a single low-impact convenience zone if certain criteria are met. Directs the commission to review convenience zones every three years. Provides that beverage container dealers must accept returns of empty beverage containers during specified hours and may refuse to accept returns during all other hours. Provides that wineries may refuse to accept returns of empty beverage containers not sold by the winery. Modifies provisions related to siting of full-service redemption centers. Provides that a dealer that establishes a dealer redemption center within a city with a population of 500,000 or greater may refuse to accept returns of empty beverage containers. Declares an emergency, effective on passage.Plaid Pantry President Jonathan Polonsky said another big issue is enforcement. He said the state needs to do a better job enforcing the bottle bill so more stores would have to take in bottles and cans rather than turning people away.
at a Plaid Pantry and Safeway in downtown Portland to try and cut down on criminal activity. The pause was lifted May 1, 2024.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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