The Oregon Legislature passed a bill several years ago requiring the Oregon Liquor Control Commission to monitor returns, and if the returns did not reach an 80% threshold, that would trigger a rise in the refund amount from 5 cents to 10 cents.
Christie Scott, Spokesperson with the OLCC, says returns did not reach that threshold and triggered the increase. Scott says beginning April 1st, all eligible containers will be at a cash value of 10 cents.
Those containers, size three liters or less, include water/flavored water, soda water/mineral water, carbonated soft drinks and beer/malt beverages.
Even if the containers show 5 cents, a 10 cent refund will be given regardless of what’s printed on the bottle beginning April 1st. Scott says retailers can also start charging a 10 cent deposit for those same containers.
To help with this transition, the OLCC has a variety of tools available online for download to post in their store and at reverse vending areas. For posters, signs, shelf tags and for more information, visit Oregon.gov/OLCC/pages/bottle_bill.aspx.