Oregon Becomes Second State, Behind Michigan, To Adopt 10-Cent Bottle Return

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Starting on April 1, Oregonians will be able to double the money they get back for recycling their old plastic water bottles, soda cans and beer bottles at redemption sites throughout the state.

A proposal to raise the per-bottle refund rate from 5 cents to 10 cents was overwhelmingly approved by the Oregon Senate on Monday and now heads to Gov. Kate Brown for her signature.

Oregon was the first state to adopt a bottle refund bill back in 1971 as a way to encourage recycling. Ten other states have similar laws, but only Michigan currently offers a 10-cent refund.