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43 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, April 3, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 2, 2005 Since You Asked Bottle bill can be confusing Why don’t stores accept my empty water bottles for recycling? This is strange, especially since the bottles clearly state "Oregon refund 5 cents" on the labels! — Marilyn L., Ashland The bottle bill has been around a long time, Marilyn, but there’s still some confusion about what it covers, both among consumers and retailers. Containers that are filled with plain water (water that is not carbonated or flavored) are not returnable. These products are also known as "still" water to distinguish them from carbonated water, which is included among the beverages covered by the bottle bill. Confusion sometimes develops when people try to return containers to stores that do not sell that particular product, says Peter Spendelow, a solid waste policy analyst for the Department of Environmental Quality. The law does not require retailers to take products they do not sell. Spendelow says there have also been instances when store employees have rejected bottles that contained sparkling water or flavored water because they were under the mistaken impression that those containers were not covered by the law. Advertisement The bottom line, he says, is that stores must accept the empties of products they sell. If they don’t, you can call Jan Smith at the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (1-800-452-6522) to complain, or drop an e-mail to: [email protected]. For more about the bottle bill, visit DEQ’s Web site:www.deq.state.or.us/wmc/solwaste/bottlebill.html Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Fasa Advertisement s