Fun, clues and travel await: Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative's Hidden Bottle Hunt returns for its fifth year

The Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative, who operates the BottleDrop network, is excited to announce its 2025 Hidden Bottle Hunt, scheduled to take place June 26-29.

This annual summer event, now in its fifth year, invites families and communities to enjoy the outdoors and celebrate Oregon’s history of environmental stewardship, all while supporting local charities. Clues for the statewide hunt will be posted daily on BottleDrop’s website, guiding treasure hunters to the final hiding spots.   

This year’s commemorative bottle design honors the Oregon Outback International Dark Sky Sanctuary in Lake County. Thanks to the work of DarkSky Oregon, whose mission is to preserve Oregon’s magnificent dark skies and to diminish light pollution for the health, safety and well-being of all life, this majestic southern Oregon sanctuary offers one of the most breathtaking night sky viewing experiences in the country.  

“The Hidden Bottle Hunt has always been about discovery and wonder, and this year, we’re taking that spirit to new heights,” said Devon Morales, vice president of external affairs for OBRC. “The 2025 hunt invites participants to explore Oregon trails and parks under skies as timeless and awe-inspiring as the stars themselves. It’s a celebration of Oregon’s Bottle Bill, adventure and the magic that happens when curiosity meets the great outdoors.”  

“This year’s Hidden Bottle Hunt is an opportunity for Oregonians to celebrate the outdoors and learn how to light wisely at night,” said Bill Kowalik, chairperson of DarkSky Oregon. “Good luck to all participants! Starry nights for all!” 

The 2025 Hidden Bottle Hunt will be comprised of six separate, simultaneous hunts, geographically dispersed in parks, trails or land open to the public across Oregon. OBRC will release clues each day of the hunt, leading treasure hunters to the hidden bottles.

The lucky winners will get to keep the commemorative bottle and select a BottleDrop Give nonprofit partner to receive a $1,000 donation through BottleDrop’s Containers for Change program. Thousands of nonprofits across Oregon raise funds for their organizations through the BottleDrop Give program each year. 

July marks the 54th anniversary of the Oregon Bottle Bill, which Governor Tom McCall signed into law on July 2, 1971. It established the nation’s first beverage container redemption system and has helped keep Oregon clean and litter-free for more than five decades. Oregon’s Bottle Bill is also the most successful in the nation. In 2024, Oregon’s preliminary redemption rate was 90.4%, with Oregonians returning more than 2 billion containers for Grade-A domestic recycling.  

Participants can learn more about the hunt and sign up for daily clue reminders by visiting bottledrop.com/hunt.  

What is the Bottle Bill? 

On July 2, 1971, Oregon became the first state in the nation to pass a Bottle Bill – a system that provides a redemption value for containers purchased in Oregon, incentivizing recycling and keeping bottles and cans out of our natural areas. It remains a groundbreaking approach to addressing the issue of litter in our forests, rivers, beaches, scenic byways and other natural areas. Over time, Oregon’s system has grown and innovated to become a national model of beverage container redemption and recycling, inspiring national and international delegations to visit Oregon to learn about its unique and effective system. Learn more about what makes the Oregon model special here.   

About 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. On behalf of the beverage industry, OBRC helps Oregonians conveniently redeem and recycle more than 2 billion containers every year, dramatically reducing litter in Oregon’s special places and boosting the state’s recycling outcomes. To learn more, visit BottleDrop.com or OBRC.com.