Oregon passed its Bottle Bill in 1971, creating a deposit system on soda cans and other drink containers. It worked, but it’s worthless today.
The concept came from Richard Chambers, a logging equipment salesman. A hiker, he picked up trash along Oregon’s trails and beaches. He came up with a bright idea how to solve it, contacted state legislator Paul Hanneman and outlined the idea, which originated from a news story about how British Columbia,…