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Law OKs bottle, can machines Relating to Oregon's bottle bill: Are grocers justified in making one use outside machines to recycle returnable bottles? Can they refuse to accept flattened cans? Can one store refuse to honor another store's brand-name cans? If so, why? -- David A., Medford Why seems to be the big question when irritated consumers get going about Oregon's bottle bill, David. The law that requires deposits on all malt and carbonated beverages sold in the state clearly has its fans. But many Oregonians bristle at the system that requires them to collect and return cans and bottles to grocers to get the deposit money back. As we've noted before, stores can, according to the law, refuse to refund deposits on brands they don't sell. Why? Because if you buy a beverage from one store and return the can to another, the original store has no means of collecting the deposit. It would have to pay out a nickel it never took in. Grocers can't, on the other hand, refuse to accept flattened cans, unless the can is so flat they can't tell whether it was sold in Oregon, said Brian Schmitz, regional manager for the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which runs the bottle bill program. And to your question about the outdoor recycling machines: Nothing in the law says grocers can't make you stand outside while a machine counts your cans. In fairness to merchants, Schmitz notes that moving the machines outside cut both sanitation and staffing costs for many grocers. (Send your questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; or by fax to (541) 776-4376; or by e-mail to: [email protected] . Please include your name, address and phone number for verification.) Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA