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Connecticut’s Bottle Bill is one of the most successful environmental preservation laws on the books. When it was enacted in 1978, it applied a 5-cent deposit on all carbonated beverage containers to encourage recycling and reduce litter. As a result, Connecticut now recycles as many as twice the number of bottles and cans as states without Bottle Bills.

Environment Connecticut is working to update the Bottle Bill to include water, juices, sports drinks and similar non-carbonated beverages. The updated Bottle Bill would also use unclaimed deposits to fund increased recycling programs in Connecticut’s communities.

How You Can Help

Please ask your state Representative to support SB 1289, the updated Bottle Bill.

Brief Summary

Connecticut’s Bottle Bill is one of the most successful environmental preservation laws on the books. Before it was enacted in 1978, millions of bottles and cans littered the state’s beaches, parks and roadways. Millions more were thrown into landfills. Today, over 1.1 billion bottles and cans are redeemed for deposit each year in Connecticut. According to the Department of Environmental Protection, Connecticut and other states with Bottle Bills have much higher container recycling rates than non-bottle bill states.

The 1.1 billion bottles and cans redeemed each year in Connecticut under the Bottle Bill is a great start. But in the nearly 30 years since the Bottle Bill was enacted, non-carbonated beverages such as water and sports drinks have become far more popular. These beverage containers don’t have a deposit, and as a result, are not recycled as frequently as carbonated beverage containers. That’s why it’s time to bring the Bottle Bill into the 21st century by updating it to include non-carbonated beverages. This single step could result in over 300 million additional bottles and cans being redeemed for deposit and recycling each year.

Of course, bottles and cans are not the only materials that should be recycled in Connecticut. The state has set an ambitious goal of recycling over 50 percent of all municipal waste. Unfortunately, in recent years our recycling rates have not improved significantly, and many other states in the nation are doing a much better job of recycling. A big part of the problem has been a lack of funding for state and municipal recycling programs. An updated Bottle Bill can help provide support for expansion of recycling efforts in Connecticut.