Since You Asked: You can turn your nickels into dimes April 1 - News - MailTribune.com - Medford, OR

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Since You Asked: You can turn your nickels into dimes April 1 Tuesday Feb 28, 2017 at 12:01 AM Since the bottle and can refund is going up to 10 cents in April, can I save the ones I have now to get the April price? — Michael N., via email Yes, Michael, that is one way to nickel and dime the system. As of April 1, the deposit and refund value of canned or bottled beer, soda, water, flavored water and malt beverages will increase from 5 to 10 cents, according to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. In 2011, the Oregon Legislature added a provision to the state’s Bottle Bill that increased the value of cans and bottles to 10 cents if the redemption rate dropped below 80 percent for two consecutive years after 2014. In 2014, OLCC reported that only 68 percent of bottles and cans were redeemed, and in 2015, the redemption rate dropped to 64 percent. Thus, the provision was set in motion. Cherilyn Bertges, a spokeswoman for Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative, which oversees BottleDrop redemption centers statewide, said the agency is willing to refund 10 cents on all containers beginning April 1 — even if you only paid a 5-cent deposit — to reduce customer confusion and increase recycling. However, Bertges has a suggestion. “The right thing to do, of course, is to redeem your containers for the same deposit amount you paid for them,” Bertges said. — Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to [email protected]. We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them.