PORTLAND, Ore. — Some of the most thrifty, eco-conscious Oregon residents, each hauling hundreds of used water bottles and soda cans in trash bags and carts, flocked to bottle-recycling centers and grocery stores over the weekend, after the per-bottle refund rate doubled to 10 cents.

Oregon was the first state in the nation to give 5-cent refunds for recycling used soda cans and glass bottles more than 45 years ago through its first Bottle Bill.

Today, with other recycling options now commonplace, this eco-trailblazing Pacific Northwest state is hoping to revamp the program by doubling that refund on bottled and canned water, soda, beer, and malt beverages — regardless what their labels say.

Oregonians have been hoarding bottles for months in anticipation of the rollout.

Many grocery stores and the 20 or so bottle redemption sites across the state were bustling with activity Saturday, the first day of the higher rate. A new BottleDrop redemption site in north Portland had heavy traffic throughout the day.

Portland resident Sarah Marshall said she and her brother come to the BottleDrop location about once a month. This time, she walked away with about $75, which will help pay for things like gas and various errands.

Oregon’s 1971 Bottle Bill, groundbreaking for its era in combating litter, has been replicated in nine other states plus Guam. Michigan is the only other with an across-the-board payout as high as 10 cents per bottle, although booze and other large bottles carry a 10-cent payout in California and 15 cents in Maine and Vermont.

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