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As originally conceived by an Oregon resident named Richard Chambers, who was fed up with the littering of Oregon's wild areas,
the Oregon Bottle Bill began as an outright ban on nonreturnable bottles and cans used for soft drinks and malt beverages.
When it appeared doomed in the 1969 legislature, it was modified to require a refundable deposit on such containers, but
McCall, feeling the time was not right, did not throw his support behind it though he strongly supported the concept. In
1971, a revised version faced opposition from a beverage lobby the likes of which Oregon had not seen before. State legislators,
offended by the lobbyists' condescending attitude and offers of bribe money, and buoyed by increased public interest in environmental
issues, passed HB 1036, and McCall signed it into law on July 2, 1971.
Oregon Bottle Bill original text
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