Bottle Bill Resource Guide

Details

Connecticut first passed its container deposit legislation in 1978, and implemented it on January 1, 1980. It was the sixth US state to implement a bottle container deposit program.

Connecticut's bottle bill initially only included beer, malt beverages, and carbonated beverages, as they took the predominant share of the beverage container industry in the 20th century. However, with the rising popularity of bottled water, the Connecticut General Assembly passed three separate laws in 2009 that further expanded the program by allowing non-carbonated water to be redeemed, and unredeemed deposits, known as "escheating",  are paid back to the State. [8] The 2009 expansion bill created a system for distributors to report income from deposits and return unclaimed deposits to the state; this data allowed the state to calculate quarterly and annual statewide redemption rates. This bill also created a "dislocation fund" for workers who lost their jobs due to the bottle bill.

In 2021, Connecticut passed SB1037 to further expand the program, by raising the deposit values from 5¢ to 10¢ and the handling fee from 2¢ to 3.5¢, in order to modernize the bill to current levels of inflation and other trends. Eligible beverages now include non-carbonated beverages, hard ciders, and malt-based hard seltzers. More container types became eligible for redemption, specifically HDPE containers. Containers can be accepted for deposit if they are crushed or flattened as long as the deposit information is visible. Miniature "nips" bottles (≤50mL) had a 5¢ fee placed upon them which is not subject to redemption. These nips fees are instead collected by distributors and given back out to communities according to nips sales in those areas.

Prior to 2022, 100% of unclaimed deposits were escheated to the state. In 2021, Connecticut passed SB1037, which established that unclaimed deposits must be shared increasingly with distributors based on the redemption rate as detailed on the timeline below:

Consumers may redeem their deposits at either a retailer or a certified redemption center. Retailers must accept containers of brands that they carry, but are not required to take containers they do not stock. Certain retailers must now also have at least 2 reverse vending machines (RVMs) on site for consumer use. Manufacturers who produce less than 250,000 non-carbonated beverage containers that are 20 ounces or less in size during a calendar year or one hundred thousand gallons or less of juice in beverage containers each calendar year may seek an exemption from participating in the deposit system.

More redemption centers are planned to be built to help serve underserviced areas. All parts of the bill have been implemented as of January 1, 2024. [9] A timeline of the bill's implementation may be found here. As of January 2024, there are 25 redemption centers that Connecticut consumers may visit to return their bottles. The list of redemption centers may be found here.

Footnotes

[1] Connecticut P.A. 21-58. No. 1037. 2021.

[2] Ibid.

[3] S.B. No. 1037. Session Year 2021. See our Fact Sheet here.    

[4] Ibid.

[5] "CT Bottle Redemption Data." Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). 2021.

[6] Private correspondence with Chris Nelson, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). May 2022 and May 2023.

[7] "2021 Beverage Market Data Analysis." Container Recycling Institute. 2024.

[8] See Footnote 6.

[9] See Footnote 1.

Last Updated on July 18, 2024.