Are businesses watering down Oregon's new bottle bill law?

Oregonians are finding that many retailers and manufacturers haven’t made the change to selling only bottled water labeled with the OR 5¢ refund value. And recent OLCC checks show that several brands on the shelves are still unmarked.

Under the new law, water bottles sold in Oregon as of Jan. 1 must be marked with a 5¢ refund value. Only bottles with the OR 5¢ designation are eligible for the 5-cent redemption.

This becomes a problem for consumers when they are charged a nickel deposit for a bottle not labeled appropriately and then they can’t get their deposit back from a retailer.

Inspectors will be checking retailers around the state beginning the week of Jan. 12 to see if the water bottles on the shelves have the appropriate OR 5¢ designation. Business owners who do not comply with the bottle bill could be cited with a Class A Misdemeanor.

Consumers are urged to email the OLCC at bottle.bill@state.or.us or call the OLCC’s Bottle Bill hotline at #1-888-h2o-2009 (1-888-426-2009) to report bottle bill violations.

For more information on the Oregon’s Bottle Bill including frequently asked questions, and what retailers and consumer need to know, visit our web page www.oregon.gov/OLCC.

Comments

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Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission

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