Portland, OR – Some of the most thrifty, eco-conscious Oregon residents, each hauling hundreds of used water bottles and soda cans in trash bags and carts, flocked to bottle-recycling centers and grocery stores Saturday — the first day the per-bottle refund rate doubled to 10 cents.
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Oregon was the first state in the nation to give 5-cent refunds for recycling used soda cans and glass bottles more than 45 years ago through its so-called Bottle Bill.
Today, with other recycling options now commonplace, this eco-trailblazing Pacific Northwest state is hoping to revamp the program by doubling that refund on bottled and canned water, soda, beer and malt beverages — regardless what their labels say.
The most frugal of Oregonians have been hoarding bottles for months in anticipation of the roll-out. Even the press pool at the state Capitol in Salem has been buying cases of water bottles and stockpiling the empties to pay for a pizza party.
Many grocery stores and the 20 or so bottle redemption sites across the state were bustling with activity, as expected, on Saturday.
A newly-built BottleDrop redemption site in north Portland, Oregon experienced heavy foot traffic steadily throughout the day that employees say is usually only seen during peak hours on the typical Saturday.
Liberal stupidity!