PORTLAND, Ore. — Officials carrying out the tri-government fentanyl emergency in downtown Portland announced Thursday its suspending service at two downtown bottle return locations known to be fentanyl hot spots.
Safeway on Southwest 10th Avenue and Jefferson Street and Plaid Pantry convenience store a block away will suspend their bottle and can redemption program for a 30-day trial period starting March 2. Officials said people return bottles, then use the money to buy fentanyl.
"It only takes a handful of bottles or cans to be traded in for cash to be cycled right back to purchase fentanyl and to keep the cycle going," said Mike Myers, the director of Portland’s Community Safety Division.
Portland police have previously targeted this area around Southwest Jefferson Street and 10th Avenue. Earlier this month, police arrested 10 suspected fentanyl dealers on this corner.
Parents of children in a nearby preschool and daycare at at Saint James Lutheran Church have also expressed concern over safety as the corner has turned into Portland's latest drug hub. Before every recess, the teachers have to sweep the park block across the street, pick up needles, and make sure it’s safe for the children. If it’s not, the kids don’t get to go outside that day, parents said.
"We do think the suspension may help stop some of the activity right there in that location," Myers said.
In Oregon, most stores that sell redeemable bottles and cans are required to accept container returns.
Suspending a store's requirement to redeem bottle and cans is one tactic to come out of the 90-day fentanyl emergency declared late January by Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson. Officials are looking to see if this is one way to stop the drug use. They plan asses the locations everyday to see if it is having positive impacts.
A spokesperson for the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative said that Safeway at Southwest 10th will continue to accept the return of green bags, but not the return of individual containers.
For the two locations to temporarily close, the state needs sign off. Officials said they expect that to happen.
Download the KGW News app: Download for iPhone here | Download for Android here
Stream newscasts for free on KGW+ on Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV: How to add app to your device here
See a typo in this article? Email web@kgw.com for corrections