Let's do it together
Bottle collective responds to our June 19 post
By Jason Jordan
Ken Thrasher and Phil Keisling are right about one thing: Oregon’s Bottle Bill deserves to be even stronger (“We’re calling for a pause—and reset—on Oregon’s Bottle Bill”).
On that, we agree completely. Where we part ways is on the idea that a pause is the path to get there.
The work they’re calling for is already underway, and stopping now would be a critical step back for our state. The Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative has spent the past several years listening to neighbors, retailers, community organizations and local leaders. We’ve heard the concerns about Delta Park. We’ve heard from neighborhoods worried about where redemption activity concentrates and what that brings with it. We take those concerns seriously, which is why we are taking action.
Delta Park is closing at the end of July. Additionally, we collaborated with a broad stakeholder coalition to pass SB 992, legislation designed to modernize the Bottle Bill and redemption system and create new models for access.
We are working to expand our green and blue bag programs, which let Oregonians use their deposit to donate to charities or convert it to retail credit. These programs offer a more convenient way to redeem containers, letting people drop off a full bag in seconds rather than using the reverse vending machines at retail partner locations. We are also providing financial support for the People’s Depot, a new brick-and-mortar redemption site opening in Southeast Portland operated by a community partner, not OBRC.
We are also starting to evaluate cashless redemption options. That pilot may have an initial launch at the new People’s Depot location, and we hope to expand it in the future. Thrasher and Keisling make a reasonable argument around the issues with cash payouts, and we share the goal of reducing immediate cash payouts from the system.
However, eliminating cash entirely requires care. Thousands depend on deposit redemptions to afford basic necessities. Any transition must bring those Oregonians with us, not leave them behind. Non-cash alternatives such as EBT credits, gift cards and utility offsets are worth pursuing, and we remain open to that conversation.
On transparency: OBRC’s model is an asset. No state dollars fund this system. We publish regular financial and impact reports; see https://obrc.com/about-obrc/obrcsreports/. We welcome scrutiny and are prepared to engage with any stakeholder who wants to understand our model.
Portland is going through a crisis, and the stress it places on public-facing services is real. Bottle redemption, like public libraries and transit, bears a disproportionate share of that burden. The answer is to keep solving for the real crisis, not to step back from services that Oregonians across the income spectrum rely on.
We didn’t get 55 years out of the Bottle Bill by standing still. We got here by adapting. That’s exactly what we’re doing now, and we’d welcome Ken and Phil as partners in that work.
Jason Jordan is the president and CEO of the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative, which operates BottleDrop and is the steward of the Bottle Bill.