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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (May 21, 2025)
Page 6 The Skanner Portland & Seattle May 21, 2025 News Oregon Lawmakers OK Changes to Landmark Bottle Redemption Law Amid Concerns Over Homelessness, Drugs By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press O regon lawmakers approved chang- es to the state’s landmark bot- tle redemption law on Wednesday, allowing redemption sites that some say have become magnets for drugs and homelessness to refuse returns of empty bever- age containers during nighttime hours. The trailblazing law to reduce littering by incentivizing recycling helped cement the state’s reputation as a leader in the emerging environ- mental movement. It has also become a financial security net for many, in- cluding those experienc- ing homelessness. The legislation was drafted in response to concerns that the na- tion’s first “bottle bill,” signed into law in 1971, needed an update to ad- dress its interplay with the dual fentanyl addic- tion and homelessness crises in Oregon. “This bill is responsive to concerns from retail- ers both large and small, as well as some of our constituents,” said Dem- ocratic state Rep. Mark Gamba, who carried the bill on the House floor, adding that it would “help to create a balance in our redemption sys- tem while maintaining the program we all seek to protect.” The bill passed the state House with broad bipartisan support, 48-4. It previously passed the state Senate 28-1. Democratic state Rep. Pam Marsh, who was among the four repre- sentatives to vote against the bill, had previously voiced her opposition during a committee hearing last week. Marsh said she worries the bill will undermine access to bottle and can redemption sites for peo- ple “who need to turn in cans and bottles for im- mediate return because they actually need those dimes and those quarters to buy dinner, to help pay rent, to take care of basic life needs.” Consumers currently pay a 10-cent deposit on eligible beverage cans and bottles. They get that deposit back when returning them at stores or redemption centers, which can hand count containers or provide counting machines and drop-off areas. People can sign up for accounts in which their refunds are deposited or choose cash redemptions. The state’s bottle drop program had over a mil- lion account holders last year, according to the Oregon Beverage Recy- cling Cooperative, which operates the program on behalf of its distributor members. “From its inception, Oregon’s Bottle Bill has helped protect Oregon’s ocean, beaches, road- sides and special places,” the cooperative said in its 2024 annual report, adding that hundreds of thousands of residents used redemptions “to save for college or dis- ability support and to save on groceries.” In recent years, how- “ It has also become a financial security net for many, in- cluding those ex- periencing homeless- ness. ever, some residents and store owners, particu- larly in Portland, have become frustrated with redemptions and what they describe as negative impacts on their neigh- Portland’s Juneteenth Gospel Music Workshop Portland’s Juneteenth Gospel Music Workshop and concert led by Dr. JerMichael Riley, lead vocalist of the world renowned and Grammy/Stellar award-winning Mississippi Mass Choir. June 11-13, 6:30 - 9:00PM nightly June 14th 11AM - 2PM Followed with the climaxing concert June 15, 2025 at 6PM, at Alberta Abby, 126 NE Alberta St., Portland. To register, email passinart@yahoo.com or call 503-235-8079 Used beverage containers are seen in a bag outside the Glisan BottleDrop Redemption Center on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane) borhoods and business operations. Currently, stores must accept container returns when they are open, and owners of all-night con- venience stores, partic- ularly in Portland, have expressed concerns about employee safe- ty. The bill passed by lawmakers Wednesday would allow stores to across the state to refuse container returns after 8 p.m. In Portland, the bill would allow for alterna- tive redemption sites, in- cluding possible mobile sites such as trucks that travel to different neigh- borhoods. Nonprofits would run the alterna- tive sites for people who redeem containers every day, relieving the pres- sure on retailers, partic- ularly downtown. Stores in an area with an alternative drop site could limit or refuse hand-counted returns, with convenience stores specifically allowed to stop them at 6 p.m. The proposal was sup- ported by retailers and associations whose mem- bers include “canners” and waste pickers who collect containers for in- come. In 2023, roughly 87% of eligible containers were returned for re- demption, according to the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission. That was the highest rate in the nation that year, according to the Oregon Beverage Recycling Co- operative. Members of Congress Rally Around Black Congresswoman Charged by Trump’s ICE Officers By Lauren Burke A t a large press conference on the House side of the U.S. Capitol, mem- bers of Congress rallied around Congresswom- an LaMonica McIver (D-NJ). The members represented the diverse “tri-caucus” made up of many of the members of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressio- nal Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Wom- en’s Caucus. The three groups represent over half of the Democratic Caucus in the U.S. House. Though McIver was not present at the press event, she was on Capitol Hill attending meetings and House votes. She is also expected to be on national television on the evening of May 20. Yesterday, the New Jer- sey Congresswoman was charged with “imped- ing” and “assaulting” law enforcement outside of Delaney Hall Immigra- tion Detention Center in Newark, New Jersey on May 9. The confron- tation occurred after the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka but last night the acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Alina Hab- ba announced that the charges against Mayor Baraka were dropped. Rep. McIver was charged on the same day that the Trump Administration, through the Department of Justice, announced an agreement to pay the family of Ashley Babbitt $5 million. Babbitt was shot dead by a member of the U.S. Capitol Police as she attempted to enter the floor of the U.S. House during the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan- uary 6, 2021. The charges against Rep. McIver also fell on the same day as what would have been the 100th birthday of Malcolm X. After three months of witnessing the Trump Administration arrest and deport individuals to a prison in El Salvador with no hearing before- hand and pressure law firms to complete work pro bono, members of Congress at the event in support of Rep. McIver appeared to have recent history front of mind. “We know exactly why we’re here today. That’s because the President of the United States has wea- ponized his Department of Justice in an attempt to make a young congress- woman from New Jersey the focal point of his ef- forts to intimidate Con- gress into submission,” said Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY), the Chairwom- an of the Congressional Black Caucus during the crowded press event near the steps of the U.S. Capitol. “Let me be over- whelmingly clear. Con- gresswoman McIver has the full and unwavering support of the Congres- sional Black Caucus. Pe- riod,” Clarke added. Rep. McIver, 38, entered Con- gress in September 2024 after winning a special election after the death of Congressman Donald Payne, Jr. “I’m standing here at a time that should make all of us as Ameri- cans truly afraid,” said New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker. Senator Booker shook hands and greeted New Jersey colleagues U.S. Representatives. Read more at TheSkanner.com
