Improving the Bottle Bill
Increase the refundable deposit from 5 to 10 cents, encouraging more people to return their containers. This change supports independent recyclers who face barriers to traditional employment
Expand the deposit to more containers, including wine, liquor, nips, and most non-carbonated containers, which will help prevent these empty bottles from being littered and keep them out of the waste stream.
Increase the handling fee from 3.5 cents to 6.5 cents by 2031. The handling fee is separate from the deposit and paid by the beverage manufacturer. The fee reimburses retailers and small businesses who accept bottle returns, keeping the system strong.
Require reuse, refill, and recycling of beverage bottles. The bill requires beverage companies to refill 25% of their bottles by 2030. This is in line with public commitments made by Coca-Cola, who pledged to refill 25% of their bottle by 2030, and Pepsi, who have pledged to refill 20% of their bottles by 2030.
New York’s Solid Waste Crisis
New York’s strategy to address solid waste must stress its Waste Hierarchy mandated by law. At the top of the hierarchy is waste reduction, followed by reuse, and then recycling. Echoing this, the state’s Climate Law Scoping Plan calls for a “dramatic shift in the way waste is managed” by 2050. Highlighting the need for a circular economy approach, it stresses the need to reduce waste across the state to end reliance on landfills and incineration.