C-Tran passengers as of Sunday can no longer bring "leaking, dripping" garbage bags of empty cans and bottles on buses.

The Clark County transit agency's policy doesn't include any specifics about how many cans and bottles are too many - that determination will be left to the bus driver -- but officials say the rules are in response to "continued sanitation and safety concerns."

"We all have a right to a clean, safe experience," Chris Selk, C-Tran spokeswoman, said of public transit riders, "and if someone is bringing on a bulging, leaking bag of smelly cans, that's not fair to the rest of the people on the bus."

Washington doesn't have a bottle and can return system, where customers are charged a deposit but can return the bottles or cans for a refund at grocery stores or distribution centers. But C-Tran has several bus routes that cross the river, and Oregon's landmark bottle bill, the first in the nation, recently kicked returns up to 10 cents per item.

Selk said the increased refund had no bearing on the policy, noting C-Tran employees have raised concerns about large bags of cans for several years. Riders were also complaining about the issue, Selk said.

It's illegal to return cans purchased out of state at Oregon retailers. State rules say retailers can refuse to accept cans "if staff have reasonable grounds to believe the beverage was not purchased in Oregon." They can even ask for receipts.

Some riders, Selk said, would park giant trash bags of empty bottles and cans in handicapped seating areas or on seats next to them. The bags take up space, leak on the seats and floor, and create a slippery or sticky hazard for other riders.

The new policy will be policed with a "common-sense approach."

But Selk wanted to be clear the policy isn't designed to exclude people who need help and are trying to redeem cans and bottles. "We're not targeting the homeless," she said.

The transit agency has had a few "civil discussions" with Clark County area social service providers, she said.

Several of those providers didn't immediately respond to a request to comment for this story.

Line 60, which runs from downtown Vancouver to Jantzen Beach and Delta Park in North Portland, was one of the main problem areas. Selk said C-Tran's Vine express service, which runs between downtown Vancouver and the Vancouver Mall Transit Center, was also a problem area.

Tia York, a TriMet spokeswoman, said the agency does not have a policy banning bags of cans or bottles on any of its services. Rules on both transit systems prohibit riders from blocking seats or access to aisles or doors. York said TriMet has received "a small number of complaints" about cans, but, she claimed, "More so, we've heard support of TriMet allowing them, as they may be the individual's only source of income," she said in an email.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen