February 13, 2020 3:30 a.m. 
On Wednesday, Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced the introduction of a pair of bills they say will offer multiple pathways to tackling America’s growing plastic pollution crisis, including a national version of the state’s “bottle bill”.
A release from both senators said the Original Recycling Bottle Act of 2020 would establish a federal “bottle bill” recycling program modeled after Oregon’s. The other piece of legislation is called the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act of 2020. The release said the proposals come amid growing concerns of involuntary plastic ingestion and the role of plastics in fueling climate chaos. The bills would “phase out unnecessary single-use plastic products and require corporations to do their fair share to tackle their plastic pollution”, according to the release.
Merkley said that plastic production is a major driver of pollution accelerating the climate crisis. Merkley said “our kids’ health and futures depend on America solving this problem”.
Wyden said Oregon’s “bottle bill” has seen huge success. He said “by taking the Oregon way nationwide, this legislation will do more than sweep the garbage under the rug”. He said “it will ensure an all-hands-on-deck effort to clean up our roadsides, beaches, and rivers to protect the health of our planet and families”.