A "Bottle Drop" location has opened up in Bend. I've been there once. Too early to say if this is an improvement on the previous system. But that is no longer an option since the Bottle Drop replaced and displaced the old system of returning cans and bottles to the retail store that sold them to you in the first place. They do have lots of machines and real people to help if you have a problem. They have bathrooms and a wash station, so it's actually quite nice. It's just farther away from home than the local Albertson's where we used to go.
When I went it was busy, but I didn't have to wait at all. The only thing that seemed kind of sketchy was some questionable people hanging around out front. I wonder if that was a one time occurrence or if they will become a permanent feature of the area. Nobody accosted me or asked me for money or bottles, it was just weird that they were there.