What Do We Mean?

Explaining a variety of BottleDrop services, features, and terms.

Understanding BottleDrop

You can do all things BottleDrop at our full-service Redemption Centers. At these staffed locations, you can drop off Green and Blue Bags, use self-serve bottle and can return machines, use our first of its kind Stream Count AI bulk counting technology (where available), purchase Green Bags, pick up Blue Bags, get a new/replacement account card, get up to 50 containers hand-counted by BottleDrop staff, or use a kiosk to withdraw funds as cash or store credit (at participating Plus retailers only).

Select retailers around the state and all of our Redemption Centers accept Green Bags (for personal accounts) and Blue Bags (for participating nonprofits), which can be dropped off using the exterior, on-site drop doors.

These are the locations where you can print a BottleDrop Plus voucher. This includes Redemption Centers and the retailers participating in the BottleDrop Plus incentive program, which is available to all BottleDrop account holders. These stores give our customers 20% more for their account withdrawals in the form of in-store credit, and no additional signup is necessary to use BottleDrop Plus.

At these locations, you can withdraw up to $99.90 in value from your account each day. You’ll need to use one of the BottleDrop kiosks to get a cash voucher before redeeming it with a cashier at a retailer or at a Pay Station in one of our full-service Redemption Centers.

If you’d like to return your containers and get cash instantly, use one of our self-serve return machines, which are called reverse vending machines. You can return up to 350 containers per person per day using these machines, which are found at our Redemption Centers and a variety of retailers throughout Oregon.

BottleDrop Green Bags are available for purchase at all locations with drop doors (except White City). These locations include any BottleDrop Redemption Center, BottleDrop Express, and Partner Retailer drop location.

Blue Bags are used by Oregon nonprofits participating in our Give program. These Blue Bags must be purchased through a Give account online before they can be picked up at the chosen BottleDrop Redemption Center.

To access your account card, use your smart phone and download the BottleDrop app. Log in using the username and password you just created. Voila! Your account card is in the app and ready to use.

If you would like a physical card in addition to the in-app card, just log in to your account online, then click on Manage BottleDrop Cards. You will be given a unique six-digit code. Use the code at a kiosk near you. Then, a card will dispense from the kiosk. Find kiosks using our Location Finder.

Having trouble? Contact our Customer Service team.

At our Redemption Centers, staff can count up to 50 containers by hand for you. These returns are considered part of the 350 container per day limit.

Additionally, over 2,500 stores in Oregon, from large grocery stores to small markets and convenience stores, offer refunds for your empty bottles and cans. Many of these stores offer hand counts, too. You’ll need to inquire locally to confirm possible hours and daily limits if this service is available.

A Partner Retailer drop location, also called a Dealer Redemption Center (DRC), is a store that has partnered with BottleDrop and provides a drop door for returning BottleDrop Green and Blue Bags. These locations are different than BottleDrop Redemption Centers and Express sites while also being specifically labeled as a Partner Retailer on our Location Finder. They include additional on-site signage, too.

For Green and Blue Bags dropped at these stores, the retailer (not you, the account holder) pays the bag processing fee, and those bags will not count toward the 15-bag per annual quarter limit; however, due to the capacity of the container, no more than 15 bags may be dropped off in one day. All other BottleDrop account Terms and Conditions apply.

Partner Retailers will also accept up to 24 containers per person, per day, via either hand count or a self-service bottle return machine.

BottleDrop Express sites are located at select retailers throughout Oregon and have a drop door where account holders and BottleDrop Give participants can drop off Green and Blue Bags.

Account holders can also purchase Green Bags and use our kiosk to get a new/replacement account card, withdraw funds as cash or store credit (participating BottleDrop Plus retailers only), and print bag tag stickers.

Anyone can use the site’s self-serve bottle and can return machines and have containers hand-counted. Inquire locally for details, including daily limits for these two services, which vary by location.

Drop doors are where BottleDrop account holders and BottleDrop Give participants can return their Green and Blue Bags for us to process. They’re opened by scanning a BottleDrop card (for account holders) or bag tag stickers (for Give participants), and at least one drop door can be found at every BottleDrop Redemption Center, BottleDrop Express site, and Partner Retailer Drop Location.

Here’s an example of a drop door at a BottleDrop Express:

A woman depositing a Green Bag into a Green Bag deposit window.

All around Oregon, there are about 2,500 additional locations that accept container returns but are not part of the BottleDrop system. You’ll need to inquire locally to confirm return hours, limits, and services available.

We have two different types of kiosks: loyalty kiosks and red dot kiosks.

BottleDrop Redemption Centers, BottleDrop Express sites, and Partner Retailer drop locations have what we call “loyalty kiosks.” At these, you can create a BottleDrop account, get a new/replacement card, get cash or store credit (participating BottleDrop Plus retailers only), and print bag tag stickers.

At the second type of kiosk, which we call “red dot kiosks,” existing account holders can get cash or store credit (participating BottleDrop Plus retailers only) from their account.