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Subject: Bottle Bill Expansion
Expanded recycling opportunities for cans & bottles Oregon’s bottle bill expansion went into effect on January 1, 2009; the state added water and flavored water bottles to the list of containers that can be redeemed for a nickel deposit. So start checking the label on your water bottles and flavored water; if it says OR 5 cents, then bring it in for the deposit. Another change in the bottle bill is that grocery stores and other retailers of 5000 square feet or more must accept containers of any brand or size, including those brands and types not sold at their store. Stores may, however, place limits on the number of returns per person per day: 50 can/bottles per person per visit for smaller stores, and 144 for larger retailers. Be patient with retail stores as they make changes to accommodate the increased numbers of recyclable containers they are now receiving. Always remember to recycle your containers; keep them out of the landfill! If you aren’t inclined to return them for the deposit, put them in with your co-mingled recycling at local depots. Benefits of Oregon’s bottle bill include: Reduced litter – in 1971, litter was the primary reason for introducing the original bottle bill. Since then, the percentage of beverage containers among roadside litter has dropped from 40 percent to 6 percent. Sustainability – the recycled containers are used to make hundreds of products including fleece jackets, carpeting, baseball bats, license plates and insulation, as well as new beverage containers. Conservation – recycling a ton of plastic bottles saves approximately 3.8 barrels of oil. Recycling one pound of PET (polyethylene terphthalate) plastic bottles saves approximately 12,000 BTUs of energy. In addition, using recycled materials uses 2/3 less energy than using raw (virgin) materials. (Information from Oregon’s OLCC Bottle Bill website) | |||
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