Help reduce litter and increase recycling rates and the use of recycled materials in New York by expanding the NY Bottle Bill!
First enacted in 1982, the New York State Returnable Container Act, commonly known as the “Bottle Bill,” requires a 5-cent refundable deposit to be placed on eligible beverage containers. In 2009, the law was expanded to include bottled water. Over its nearly 40-year history, New York’s Bottle Bill has proven to be a highly effective program to reduce litter and increase recycling rates, but only for select bottle types.
Let’s elevate the success of this bill by expanding it to (1) include wine, spirits, hard cider, and most non-carbonated beverages; (2) increase the deposit from 5-cents to 10-cents; and (3) require the use of specific amounts of recycled materials in plastic, aluminum, and glass beverage containers.
Michigan and Oregon have already increased their deposit to 10 cents, leading to an immediate increase in recycling redemption rates. A mere inflation update would likely make a 5-cent deposit in 1982 nearly fifteen cents today. It’s past time for New York to raise its deposit to a dime.
Take two minutes and send a message to your elected officials asking them to pass an updated NY Bottle Bill!
