But former Sen. Doug Whitsett (R-Klamath Falls), one of the biggest critics of the 2011 expansion, says his colleagues got taken for a ride on BottleDrops. He's skeptical the new centers will increase the overall return rate long-term.

"I think the deposit increase [to 10 cents] was orchestrated to improve the financial position of the distributors," Whitsett says today, "and that's what happened."