Vermont’s bottle redemption system, commonly called the “bottle bill,” relies on a law passed in 1972 — before some of today’s common beverages broadly entered the market. A bill working its way through the state Legislature would modernize the law and expand what it includes. The redemption system charges consumers a deposit, worth a few cents, when they buy certain beverages, then allows them to recoup that money when they return the empty containers to redemption centers and retail markets.
H.175, the bill currently under consideration, would increase that deposit from 5 to 10 cents, except for liquor containers, which would have a 15-cent deposit. The state channels the uncollected money to funding for the Clean Water Act. The bill passed the Vermont House last spring and is now before the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy, where lawmakers are currently taking testimony.
Right now, the law covers beer and other malt beverages, mineral waters, mixed wine drinks, soda water, carbonated soft drinks and liquor. That leaves out a host of common drinks such as wine, hard cider, bottled water and sports drinks, which now make up a large portion of the beverage market in Vermont. Under the new bill, manufacturers and distributors of beverage containers reimburse people who operate participating retailers and redemption centers at between 3.5 and 5 cents per container, depending on whether the recycled items are mingled together or separated.