South Carolina 2013 Bill
House Bill 3235 would enact the South Carolina Beverage Container Recycling Act, establishing a bottle bill. The bill would require a deposit on nearly all beverage containers, including beer, soft drinks, bottled water and bottled juice.
| Bill Number and Name | House Bill 3235, Beverage Container Recycling Act |
|---|---|
| Sponsors | Rep. J.E. Smith |
| Beverages Covered | All nonalcoholic drinks, beer and malt |
| Containers Covered | glass, aluminum, steel, bimetal, or plastic, less than or equal to two liters |
| Deposits | 5¢ |
| Handling Fees | 1 – 2¢, Paid by processors to recycling centers |
| Other Fees / Taxes | Container recovery fee, paid by distributors to the state, starting at .25¢ per container and increasing to 1¢ |
| Reclamation System | Redemption Centers |
| Unredeemed Deposits | Property of the state Deposit beverage container fund |
Details
As with most other new deposit bills, all nonalcoholic beverages are subject to a deposit. Dairy drinks, supplements, broths, and certain other liquids are excluded. It includes beer and other malt beverages, but not wine or mixed spirits.
The program will be run by the Department of Revenue from a 'Deposit beverage container fund'.
In addition to the deposit, distributors must also pay a non-refundable container recovery fee for each deposit beverage container manufactured in or imported into the State. The fee must be imposed only once on the same deposit beverage container and must be implemented in phases, starting at .25¢ and increasing to 1¢ by January 2016.
Distributors pay deposits to the Department of Revenue, passing on the charges to dealers and consumers.
All redeemed containers are required to be submitted to a certified processor, which is responsible for reimbursing the redemption center for deposit values and fees.
The bureau shall convene an advisory committee to assist it in developing any rules needed to implement this chapter.
Progress
January 8, 2013 Introduced and referred to Committee on Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs
The 2011 South Carolina Campaign
| Bill Number and Name | H 3590, South Carolina Beverage Container Recycling Act |
|---|---|
| Sponsors | Reps. J. E. Smith and Jefferson |
| Beverages Covered | Malt beverages, wine coolers, alcoholic juice beverages, all nonalcoholic beverages except milk. Excludes supplements, drugs, frozen and powdered drinks/mixes. |
| Containers Covered | glass, aluminum, steel, bimetal, or plastic, up to 2L |
| Deposits | 5¢ |
| Handling Fees | 2¢, paid by processors to redemption centers, in addition to the containers' scrap value |
| Other Fees / Taxes | "Container recovery fee," paid by manufacturer or distributor to the state. Begins at ¼ cent and increases to 1 cent. |
| Reclamation System | Redemption centers |
| Unredeemed Deposits | Retained by the state |
Details
This bill is a thorough description of the potential deposit law in South Carolina, complete with incremental implementation dates and a detailed description of the parties involved and their responsibilities. For full details on these dates and key players.
Some distinctive features include the requirement for a bar code with information about the container and its refund value.
The bill creates a 'deposit beverage container fund' where all deposits and fees are to be kept. The fund is used to cover program costs, and leftover funds may be used to support redemption centers and processors, as well as provide grants for litter control and recycling programs. These funds are never to revert into the general fund.
Retailers are not responsible for accepting empty containers under this system; instead all redemptions are handled by certified redemption centers. Redemption centers sell the containers certified processors, which recycle or sell the containers, pay handling fees to the redemption centers, and are in turn reimbursed by the Department of Revenue for refund values, handling fees, and administrative fees.
The handling fee is subject to change based on the availability of funds, but must remain in the range of 1 to 2 cents.
Progress
February 3, 2011: Introduced and referred to Committee on Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs