OPB/Four Perspectives on Oregon’s Landmark Bottle Bill

Ken Thrasher, NWCC Board Chair, joins Dave Miller, host of Think Out Loud, for a discussion about Oregon’s Bottle Bill and the impact on Portland's drug crisis.

OPB Think Out Loud: “Oregon’s Bottle Bill, which offers cash refunds for empty bottles and cans, was a landmark piece of legislation when it first passed in 1971. Since then, it’s served as a model for similar bills in other states and led to some of the highest recycling rates in the nation. The bill was originally intended to discourage littering, but the cash refunds it offers have increasingly become a lifeline for low-income Oregonians and people experiencing homelessness. As extensively reported in Willamette Week, critics now say the bill is fueling open-air drug markets outside return sites.”

Does the Bottle Bill negatively contribute to the drug crisis?

Ken Thrasher, former CEO of Fred Meyer and Northwest Community Conservancy board chair, and Kris Brown, operations manager of The People’s Depot Portland Redemption Center, discuss the challenges the once-lauded initiative now faces.

Link: https://www.opb.org/article/2024/03/27/four-perspectives-on-oregons-landmark-bottle-bill