Connecticut’s bottle recycling program, commonly known as the “Bottle Bill,” uses a deposit and return system for recyclables, providing great benefits to the environment since 1980. Now a Republican legislator has proposed to repeal it.
The bottle bill offers an incentive to recycle beverage containers and has reduced the litter on our roads, diverted recyclables from our waste stream, and reduced garbage fees and the financial burden on municipalities and taxpayers.
However, one Connecticut Republican legislator has proposed HB 5674, which would repeal the Bottle Bill, remove the return incentive, and place the burden of recycling back on individuals and municipalities.
The reasons behind this proposal are unclear, as Connecticut’s Bottle Bill and the recent changes to strengthen it have been largely considered a great success. When the deposit increased from 5 to 10 cents, residents redeemed 194.5 million cans and bottles in just one quarter. In other terms, Connecticut realized a 53.5% redemption rate, a 14.7% increase from the same quarter the previous year and the highest redemption rate since 2018.
Recycling has many benefits – reducing waste in landfills and incinerators, reducing pollution and litter, conserving energy, and more. Connecticut is one of 10 states that use a bottle redemption system.
Meanwhile, Connecticut Democrats are taking up bills to protect our environment, such as banning harmful rodenticides, increasing coastal resiliency measures, and expanding the ban on harmful PFAS chemicals.
Learn about more CT GOP proposals, including:
- CT Republicans Target the Minimum Wage
- CT Republicans Propose Bill on Chemtrails Conspiracy
- CT Republicans Work to Undermine Child Vaccine Coverage
- CT Republicans Attempt to Repeal Protections for Renters
Or learn about legislation by Senate Democrats to reduce the costs of prescription drugs, essential goods, and energy rates.
