Oregon’s BottleDrop community raises $100,000 to support Maui wildfire relief efforts
CLACKAMAS, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative, which operates the BottleDrop network, announced Tuesday that it raised $100,000 through its Emergency Fund to support wildfire relief efforts in Maui, Hawaii. Oregonians from across the state stepped up in support of the cause.
Between August 11 and August 31, BottleDrop encouraged its 1 million Green Bag account holders to make donations from their BottleDrop accounts to the OBRC Emergency Fund. In total, nearly $58,000 was raised online from 1,059 account holders transferring their balances to the Fund.
Another $17,000 was raised through community members dropping off a total of 174,935 redeemable cans and bottles to BottleDrop Redemption Centers around Oregon. OBRC matched an additional $25,000 to complete the donation.
The Hawaiian Island of Maui has been devastated by wildfires that have claimed hundreds of lives, destroyed property, and ravished thousands of acres of natural areas. Having adopted the nation’s most recent Bottle Bill, Hawaii is a “sister state” to Oregon in employing a deposit return system to reduce litter and improve recycling outcomes.
“We are heartened by the support Oregonians have shown in response to these devastating wildfires,” said Eric Chambers, vice president of strategy and outreach at OBRC. “Ten cents at a time really adds up, and we were humbled by the generosity of Oregonians and the opportunity to leverage the positive power of bottles and cans to provide assistance to a community in need.”
Donations will be directed to Maui United Way, which is working to provide immediate relief to families and nonprofits directly affected by the Maui fire disaster.
“Through our Emergency Fund, established in 2020, we are able to demonstrate how Oregon’s Bottle Bill can empower all of us to support our neighbors, near and far. This donation will have an immediate impact on the relief and rebuilding efforts on Maui, and we are grateful to every person who donated,” Chambers said.
OBRC will also be making an Emergency Fund donation to the Oregon chapter of the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, which helps support injured firefighters, as well as families of firefighters killed in the line of duty here in Oregon.
About BottleDrop and the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative
The Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative is the industry steward of Oregon’s nationally recognized beverage container redemption system and the operator of the BottleDrop network. A not-for-profit cooperative that recycles around 2 billion containers every year, OBRC believes in empowering people to redeem every container easily, efficiently, and effectively, ensuring that no resource is wasted. To learn more, visit BottleDrop.com or OBRC.com.
About the OBRC Emergency Fund
Launched in 2020, this fund is used to help support our communities and neighbors during times of urgent need. The Emergency Fund was first used shortly after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, when many individuals and families were experiencing food insecurity. Collectively, our customers donated 2 million beverage containers with a refund value of $200,000 for Oregon Food Bank. Since then, the fund has been engaged to raise money for other important causes, such as supporting firefighters during devastating wildfires, funding warming and cooling shelters during extreme weather, and supporting humanitarian relief services being provided to Ukrainians through the Portland-based nonprofit Mercy Corps.
