Oregon | The Bottle Bill
The state of Oregon introduced the first deposit return scheme (DSR) in the United States with their Bottle Bill (HB 1036), passed in 1971. Over its forty-plus year life, Oregon’s bottle bill has undergone a number of amendments, including in 2007 and 2011—both working to expand the number of materials covered under the DRS scheme.
What’s Included?
According to a bottle bill FAQ, Oregon’s bottle bill covers glass, plastic, and metal bottles and cans that contain the following beverages in these sizes:
Water, carbonated beverages, beer and malt beverages, kombucha, and hard seltzer in a package that is three liters or less.
Non-alcoholic beverages (tea, coffee, juice, etc.), other alcoholic beverages (hard cider, etc.), and marijuana and hemp beverages in a package that is four ounces up to 1.5 liters.
To help consumers navigate which items are included in DRS, packages are denoted with OR 10¢.
What's the Refund Value?
The refund value is ten cents USD for all covered materials listed above.
Impact of DRS in Oregon
As the nation’s first state with a DRS program, Oregon has seen the benefits of the system, which is reflected in their 2018 recycling rates for PET, aluminum, and glass.
PET recycling rate (2018): 71% (second highest in the country behind Maine)
Aluminum recycling rate (2018): 82% (second highest in the country behind Maine)
Glass recycling rate (2018): 51% (seventh highest in the country)
*data from 50 States of Recycling 2.0 by Ball Corporation & Eunomia
Learn more about Oregon’s bottle bill here.
Read about the bottle bills in the nine other US states here.
