With the recent update to the Oregon Bottle Bill, we are excited to be able to include more of our products in the state-wide deposit program. We wanted to take the opportunity to provide a little more information on the bottle bill, the 10¢ deposit, and how it pertains to 2 Towns Ciderhouse and our specific products.

 

Why didn’t our ciders have deposits before 2018?

In the past we’ve received many phone calls and emails asking why we didn’t have a deposit on our ciders. The simple answer is up until now it wasn’t legal for us to do so. Deposits are managed by the Oregon Bottle Bill (ORS 459A.702) through the OLCC and there are strict guidelines on which products are eligible for a deposit and which are not. In the past, cider was treated as a wine in regards to deposits, and wines have been excluded from bottle deposits in nearly every state, including Oregon. It was really  hard for consumers to understand, as our cider was packaged in cans and bottles that were more in line with beer and soda. Now the state differentiates between cider and wine, though higher alcohol ciders are still considered a fruit wine.

 

2018 Updates to the Oregon Bottle Bill

This new deposit will encourage recycling of our packaging, but there are a few details to note. The law changed to allow for a deposit on “cider,” but the state of Oregon defines a cider as less than 8.5% alcohol by volume. We produce a number of ciders above 8.5% ABV, like Bad Apple, Serious Scrump and other Imperial ciders.These higher alcohol ciders are still technically wines by law and thus are still not eligible for the deposit. So now, you may find that certain ciders we produce will have a 10¢ deposit and others will not, regardless of the fact that they are in identical packages.

Regardless of the deposit, we urge you to recycle our bottles and cans either at the store or through your curbside recycling. The deposit is in no way connected to the ability to recycle our packaging- the law is simply meant to encourage people to do so to reclaim their deposits.

One last note – we’ve been given 12 months to come into compliance with the new law and indicate the deposit on our eligible packages. This gives us time to use our existing packaging inventory. This means that some ciders may not be labeled indicating a deposit until January 1st, 2019. We anticipate our packaging will be updated quickly, but some will take longer than others.

 

Cheers!

Aaron Sarnoff – Co-Founder of 2 Towns Ciderhouse