Welcome to Recycling Advocates
We have a new website.
Recycling Advocates was formed in 1987 and is Oregon's only citizen-based, grassroots group dedicated to creating a sustainable future through local efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Recycling Advocates is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is proud to be a member of Earth Share of Oregon. To learn more about our organization and to find out how you can join our community of recycling activists in Portland and the Pacific Northwest, click "About" at the top of the page.
What's Going On?
The Modernization of the Bottle Bill 
The bill modernizing Oregon’s Bottle Bill, which the Oregonian is calling "one of the most significant pieces of non-budget-related legislation to make its way through the capitol this year and perhaps the environment lobby's biggest win this session," passed the Oregon Senate with a vote of 19-11 on Wednesday, July 25, and ha been singed into law by Governor Kitzhaber’s desk.
It has been a long time coming! Bottle Bill modernization has been a priority for Recycling Advocates for many legislative sessions and has been the focus of much of our energy and efforts over the last few years. What better way to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Bottle Bill, Oregon’s seminal product stewardship legislation, than by keeping it relevant for many future generations.
There are three main components of HB 3145-B:
- It expands beverage containers that are covered by the deposit to include sports drinks, energy drinks, coffee, tea, juice, and similar non-carbonated drinks by Jan. 1, 2018 at the latest;
- It raises the refund value of beverage containers from 5 to 10 cents if we fall below an 80% return rate by January 2017 at the earliest; and
- It creates a pilot project for a redemption center to be built somewhere other than Portland that is based on a tiered "convenience zone" model and encourages more participation from dealers within these zones.
Even with increased recycling opportunities throughout Oregon since the passage of the original bill in 1971, Recycling Advocates firmly believes that the Bottle Bill is the most effective recycling program that Oregon has, and expansion is key to keeping our recycling rates of beverage containers one of the highest in the nation.
Obviously we would like to see the components of the expansion go into effect sooner than is prescribed by HB 3145, but we also understand the tremendous efforts and negotiations that helped broker this bi-partisan agreement and feel that HB 3145 is truly a win-win for all stakeholders.
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