When Oregon enacted the nation’s first bottle bill in 1971, it was intended to reduce litter on the state’s beaches, along roads, and in parks. It has, as Oregon’s redemption rate on empty bottles and cans is 85% compared to 30% in Washington.

The two states have taken vastly different approaches to litter cleanup and recycling over the years. A large part of the Oregon program’s recent success is that lawmakers in Salem doubled the payout to $0.10 a container in 2017. 

People, not always Oregonians, turn in their cans and bottles to recycling centers, called “BottleDrops,” and are paid on the spot. Recyclers paid more than $205 million to people and local nonprofits which returned more than 2 billion containers to redemption centers.

Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that Oregon’s redemption rate is the highest in the nation.

Washington has a broader regulatory approach featuring curbside mixed recycling, in which haulers generally include pickup fees with monthly garbage bills. However, that will change in 2030 when the costs shift to the packaging producers who will start paying the fees. Until then, local rates still apply. 

Washington passed The Model Litter Control Act in 1971 which levied a 0.015% tax on food, cigarettes, soft drinks, beer, wine, newspapers, magazines, and other items. It was for roadside litter cleanup.

Over time, Washington has developed recycling programs for items such as newspapers, motor oils, glass bottles, cardboard, metals, and batteries. Washington voters were asked to approve the Oregon Bottle Bill; however, the latest ballot measure in 1979 failed by 57% of the vote.

Currently, the states of California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, and Vermont have bottle bills similar to those in Oregon.

Iowa’s bottle recycling is run by the private sector but regulated by the state. It's operated by for-profit beverage distributors, retailers, and recyclers. Oregon’s system is administered by the Oregon Beverage and Recycling Cooperative, which is a statewide not-for-profit. 

Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, has repeatedly pushed for a bottle bill modeled after Oregon's sytem in the Legislature over the last couple of years; however, it didn’t have the momentum to pass. She believes Washington’s current recycling rate, which hovers around 50%, could approach Oregon’s rates if her legislation is adopted.

However, site locations are a huge hurdle. Oregon closed its Delta Park BottleDrop on July 31, citing legitimate complaints from neighboring businesses prompting store closures from rampant theft, and safety concerns from illegal drug transactions and substance abuse near the site.   

Stonier’s legislation also must address the location of collection centers. As happened in the early days of Oregon’s bottle bill, grocery stores and shopping centers are not suitable locations. Trash transfer stations where paints, scrap metal, and chemicals are collected and disposed, are more appropriate.

Today, the state spends about $12 million every year on cleanup activities. A refund program that incentivizes recycling, could reduce the state’s cleanup cost.

Lawmakers need to look at what works in Oregon and Iowa. Paying for recycling is producing results. That might be a way to encourage people to recycle more rather than letting others pick up and sort our litter.

Cash for empties works. We just need to make sure unintended consequences, such as collection site location, are addressed up front. 

It's amazing what happens when people are given incentives and can earn a little extra money. The bottom line is cash drives people to recycle.

Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer, and columnist. He can be contacted at [email protected].