MY,  You are right:  "Oregon, Iowa and Vermont – Distributors Keep Unclaimed Deposits".  Check-out this website:  http://www.bottlebill.org/about/unclaimed.htm

While Oregon's Bottle Bill lead the nation at one time, atrophy has set in.  As the above website shows, there are things that can be done to strengthen and improve it but that would require politicians to do more than figure out how to be elected and re-elected.