The Oregon Bottle Bill laws have presented a number of operational issues for Plaid Pantry locations, which Jonathan Polonsky, President and CEO of Plaid Pantry, recently addressed.
According to him, bottles and cans must be accepted at all Plaid Pantry locations during business hours. Whether or not the store is located in a designated redemption zone determines how many bottles and cans are accepted per person per day; the maximum is 24 bottles and cans for stores inside the zone and 50 for those outside.
Because Plaid Pantry locations are open around-the-clock, they are frequently the only place to redeem bottles and cans after other stores and redemption facilities have closed for the evening.
Polonsky drew attention to safety and worker well-being issues, pointing out cases of drunk people returning bottles and cans late at night, which can jeopardize worker safety and increase turnover rates.
Polonsky suggested extending the hours for bottle and can redemptions to coincide with redemption centers’ regular closing time of 6 PM. Additionally, he recommended that redemption centers run around-the-clock in order to more fairly share the amount of returns among businesses.
Polonsky acknowledged these difficulties, but was disappointed by the state officials’ lack of involvement and information about possible answers. He underlined that in order to resolve the operational effects of bottle redemption rules for Plaid Pantry locations, discussions with decision-makers are necessary.
As a result of the temporary embargo on bottle and can returns at one of its stores, Plaid Pantry is currently managing the impact of this measure, which has led to an increase in returns at other stores.
Polonsky stated that he would like to work with state officials to investigate long-term solutions to the problems that bottle redemption laws provide.
There is currently no evidence of any intention to present the idea to state representatives directly. Polonsky is still amenable to discussion and cooperation in order to overcome the operational difficulties Plaid Pantry stores encounter.
