BUSINESS
A10 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2020
COVID-19 restrictions create lines at BottleDrop
By NADA SEWIDAN
STAFF WRITER
Long lines often snake
around the outside of Bot-
tleDrop Redemption Center
in Hermiston these days, but
employees of the company
say it likely has more to do
with restrictions on submit-
ting bottles than the economy.
Under COVID-19-related
restrictions, prior to Phase
1 reopenings, the Oregon
Liquor Control Commission
suspended its requirement
for retailers to accept bever-
age containers. People look-
ing to turn in bottles and cans
turned to BottleDrop instead,
resulting in long lines.
“Total return volume has
been down, but our redemp-
tion centers have been very
busy,” said Liz Philpott, who
does public relations for Bot-
tleDrop Redemption Cen-
ter. “We appreciate the pub-
lic’s patience and support
as we continue to adapt our
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
The line at the Hermiston BottleDrop wraps around the front of the store and down the depth
of the building on Friday, June 12, 2020.
processes with regards to
COVID-19.”
Between Jan. 1 to March
31, BottleDrop processed
approximately 249.6 million
containers, according to com-
pany data, and Oregon’s aver-
age recycling rate is above
80%, according to Oregon
Beverage Recycling Coop-
erative. It is unclear whether
long lines mean more recy-
cled bottles and cans because
data for April and May have
not been released. However,
Philpott said it is likely more
people are consuming bever-
ages at home due to the pan-
demic, which can be a con-
tributing factor to long lines.
“Many retailers stopped
accepting container returns
during the governor’s stay at
home order, which increased
traffi c to our BottleDrop
locations — which remained
open. BottleDrop is an essen-
tial service and lifeline for
many Oregon residents,”
Philpott said.
What is clear, according
to Philpott, is more people
are using the Green Bag pro-
gram than before. Users can
purchase BottleDrop’s green
bags, fi ll them with recycla-
bles and drop it off at one of
their locations for cash and
discounts from participating
retailers.
Philpott said their loca-
tions have remained open
and operational despite chal-
lenges posed by COVID-19
restrictions.
BottleDrop implemented
several COVID-19-related
changes to stay open, includ-
ing the use of personal pro-
tective equipment, increased
sanitation and cleaning proto-
cols, and reallocation of staff.
Social distancing protocols
also contribute to extended
lines at BottleDrop locations.
Total bottle and can sub-
missions at the centers are
down due to restrictions,
Philpott said, but that’s
expected to change now that
several counties in Oregon
are under Phase 2.
“We expect more contain-
ers to be returned as coun-
ties begin entering additional
phases in the governor’s plan
for reopening,” she said.
According to OLCC,
retailers have up to two
weeks to once again accept
beverage container returns
once they enter Phase 1.
However, certain restrictions
remain in place, including
limited hours of availability
for redemption and no sub-
missions during graveyard
shifts.
SpudLove Snacks launches potato chip line with local potatoes
HERMISTON HERALD
SpudLove Snacks’ new
potato chip line will be made
from organic potatoes grown
at Threemile Canyon Farms
in Boardman.
The line of chips are
100%
“USDA-certifi ed
organic, Non-GMO Proj-
ect Verifi ed and certifi ed
Gluten-Free,” according to
a news release, and come
in fi ve varieties: Sea Salt,
Barbecue, Sea Salt + Vine-
gar, Jalapeno and Cracked
Pepper.
The snack company
announced the launch of the
chips with a commitment
to donate potatoes to Farm-
ers Ending Hunger every
month. Farmers Ending
Hunger is an Oregon non-
profi t that started in Herm-
iston and collects fresh pro-
duce and other farm products
for the Oregon Food Bank,
Photo contributed by SpudLove Snacks
SpudLove Snacks’ newest potato chips are made with potatoes grown in Boardman.
which send the food on to
local food pantries around
the state.
“We’re honored to be the
benefi ciaries of this gener-
ous partnership that helps
bring locally grown potatoes
to families facing food inse-
curity throughout Oregon,”
John Burt, executive direc-
tor of Farmers Ending Hun-
ger, said in a statement.
Sheila Stanziale, CEO
of SpudLove Snacks, said
the monthly donation will
be the company’s way of
supporting a nonprofi t that
“looks out for the needs of
the most vulnerable in our
community.”
“We believe the best way
to fi ght hunger is to provide
nutritious food to those in
need,” she said in a state-
ment. “And just as we work
to take care of our commu-
nity, we work equally hard
to take care of the land at
Threemile Canyon Farms
through thoughtful, sus-
tainable farming practices
that ensures we can con-
tinue to grow the best qual-
ity potatoes.”
According to the Ore-
gon Food Bank, an aver-
age of 84,000 children a
month in Oregon eat meals
from emergency food boxes
received from a food bank.
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