In Oregon, few environmental policies are as universally recognized as the state’s pioneering Bottle Bill.
For over 50 years, this landmark legislation has allowed residents to return cans and bottles for a refund – now 10 cents each – creating one of the nation’s most successful recycling programs.
But as The Oregonian’s Aimee Green discovered in her recent four-part investigative series, this well-intentioned environmental policy has become unexpectedly entangled with Portland’s drug crisis, homelessness and growing livability concerns…