HB 2746 helps remove confusion, reduce waste, in 'Bottle Bill' increase

SALEM – The Oregon Senate passed a bill today to smooth the process and reduce potential waste when the 5-cent bottle deposit rises to 10 cents at stores statewide on April 1.

House Bill 2746 – which passed the on a 23-4 vote on the Senate floor – requires payment of the 10-cent refund for covered beverage containers, beginning on April 1, regardless of the refund value indicated on the container.

The bill eliminates confusion – with the potential for some containers for the exact same products having different deposit amounts – as well as the possibility of having to dispose of products in containers that don’t display the updated deposit amount. Containers that indicate a 5-cent deposit may continue to be sold until Sept. 30, 2018.

“This bill smooths out the transition considerably for retailers, helping them have consistency in how to implement the new deposit without wasting product or creating confusion,” said Sen. Michael Dembrow (D-Portland), who carried the bill. “The higher deposit amount should improve the recycling rates in the state, reducing litter statewide and providing for a cleaner environment. But as we transition from 5 cents to 10 cents, there’s a risk of confusion. Consumers and retailers need certainty that, as of April 1, the redemption value of every bottle will be 10 cents, no matter what the label says. This bill provides that certainty.”

HB 2746 specifies how containers that are not labeled with the 10-cent deposit value will be handled during the transition. The bill would require payment of a refund value of 10 cents for any beverage container that is subject to the deposit on or after April 1, regardless of the refund value on the container. The measure also would address the new types of beverage containers that are scheduled to be added to the Bottle Bill on Jan. 1, 2018, specifying that those containers will carry a 10-cent deposit regardless of whether the deposit amount appears on the container.

In 1971, Oregon enacted the Bottle Bill, which is the nation’s longest-standing deposit law. In 2007, the Legislature expanded coverage of the 5-cent deposit to include water and flavored water. The Legislature further expanded the beverage types to include deposits on juices, teas and other products in 2011. That same bill set a trigger for the deposit to increase to 10 cents if the recycling rate fell below 80 percent for two consecutive years. In 2016, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission determined that trigger had been met, and so the deposit amount is increasing to 10 cents on April 1.

HB 2746 now goes to the Governor for her signature.

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Contact: Rick Osborn, Communications Director
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1074
Email: rick.osborn@oregonlegislature.gov 
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, S-223, Salem, Oregon 97301