MEDFORD, Ore. -- Today the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative confirmed to NewsWatch12 that around 90 percent of deposit containers sold last year were returned and redeemed.
This equates to around two billion containers recycled in Oregon in 2018. This is the most ever under the bottle drop deposit program. The bottle drop program says this is due to expanding what can be dropped off, and increasing the deposit from five to ten cents.
"That made it so they're kind of worth something. I mean if you get a bunch of them together you actually have some cash that you can go shopping with. Most of the time that's what I'll do, go to the grocery store and spend it," says Theron Argraves. Today he was dropping off containers at the location in Medford.
The latest quarterly report from the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative shows a breakdown of the percentage of recycled materials per location across Oregon. Locally there are three locations in Medford, Klamath Falls, and Grants Pass.
Today the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative told NewsWatch12 it is actively looking to add a new location in Southern Oregon. It is hoping to add to it's green bag program. Around 100,000 new people signed up for the program last year. There is no word yet on a time line for when it could be built.
For a list of what can and cannot be returned at a bottle drop site, click here.
