Bottle Bill Stakeholder Process
With the passage of Public Act 21-58An Act Concerning Solid Waste Management, as well as June Special Session, Public Act 21-2An Act Concerning Provisions related to Revenue and Other Items to Implement the State Budget for the Biennium Ending June 30, 2023, Connecticut is poised for the most significant transformation of its beverage container redemption program (i.e. Bottle Bill) since the program was first implemented in 1980.
For more information on Bottle Bill Advisory Group meetings click here. The Bottle Bill places a deposit on a container at the time of purchase and returns that deposit to the consumer when the empty bottle is returned. The containers may be returned to their place of purchase or to container redemption centers. While the Bottle Bill is a critical part of Connecticut's recycling and litter-reduction program, present redemption rates average about 50%. Other states who have modernized their infrastructure and laws have achieved redemption rates approaching upwards of 90%. The Bottle Bill provides source-separated material that can be readily recycled into new containers or other products.
To stay informed and participate in the stakeholder process please fill out this form.
Public Act 21-58 required that DEEP develop terms for a Memorandum of Agreement to achieve 80% in-state processing of glass from wine and liquor bottles sold in Connecticut into a furnace-ready cullet or byproduct that is melted or otherwise used in cement, glass or fiberglass products. In February, DEEP submitted a report to the legislature detailing various pathways to achieve such 80% processing along with stakeholder feedback on those pathways. That report can be viewed here.
June Special Session Public Act 21-2requires that DEEP issue, not later than December 1, 2021, a grant application process for the Beverage Container Recycling Grant Program that distributes such grant proceeds and sets forth additional requirements. More information on the Beverage Container Recycling Grant Program can be found here.
On July 16, 2021, DEEP released a Notice of Proceedingto convene a stakeholder engagement process as a first step in effectively implementing responsibilities included in Public Act 21-58and June Special Session Public Act 21-2. The written comments submitted in response to the Bottle Bill Notice are listed below:
American Beverage Association (ABA)
Central Connecticut Redemption Center
Connecticut Beer Wholesalers Association (CBWA)
Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM)
Container Recycling Institute (CRI)
Connecticut Bottle Bill Works Coalition
Connecticut Council on Environmental Quality (CT CEQ)
Connecticut League of Conservation Voters (CTLCV)
Environmental Products Corporation (Envipco)
Glass Packaging Institute (GPI)
International Bottled Water Association (IBWA)
National Waste Recycling Association (NWRA)
Representative Geraldo Reyes Jr.
TOMRA (TOMRA attachment) (TOMRA attachment)
Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of Connecticut, Inc.
Bottle Bill Advisory Group
In order to maximize transparency and engagement with all stakeholders interested in Bottle Bill implementation, DEEP is announcing a continuation of the Bottle Bill stakeholder process by forming a Bottle Bill Advisory Group that will meet regularly to receive updates and provide input on DEEP's implementation of its responsibilities under Public Act 21-58. More information can be found in the Notice of Bottle Bill Advisory Group Meetings.
To stay informed and participate in the Bottle Bill Advisory Group, please fill out this form.
Past Meetings
December 18, 2023
November 20, 2023
October 16, 2023
September 18, 2023
August 21, 2023
July 24, 2023
Bottle Bill Stakeholder Public Meeting
Monday, August 9, 2021 2:00-4:00pm Stakeholder Meeting AgendaPresentations:
Chris Nelson, CT DEEP - Overview of CT’s Bottle Bill Program and Public Act 21-58
Jules Bailey, Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative - Oregon’s Bottle Bill: A Cooperative Approach
Susan Collins, Container Recycling Institute - Connecticut Bottle Bill Modernization Stakeholder Dialogue
Payments to Municipalities from Fees on Miniature Alcohol Bottles
Section 10 of Public Act 21-58 established that "on and after October 1, 2021, any beverage container containing a spirit or liquor of fifty milliliters or less shall be assessed a five-cent surcharge by the wholesaler of such beverage container to the retailer of such beverage container and by the retailer of such beverage container to the consumer of such beverage container."
Also, on April 1, 2022, and every six months thereafter, payment shall be remitted by each wholesaler to every municipality where any such beverage container was sold during the preceding six-month period by such wholesaler. Such payment shall be at the rate of five cents for every such beverage container sold within such municipality by such wholesaler."
In order to reduce the number of checks that a single town might receive, the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of CT (WSWC) agreed to aggregate the 5-cent fees collected by all wholesalers and send a single check to each town in which the 50ml (or smaller) containers of spirits or liquors were sold.
P.A. 21-58 also specifies that "All payments received by any municipality...shall be expended by such municipality on environmental measures intended to reduce the generation of solid waste in such municipality or reduce the impact of litter caused by such solid waste, including, but not limited to, the hiring of a recycling coordinator, the installation of storm drain filters designed to block solid waste and beverage container debris or the purchase of a mechanical street sweeper, vacuum or broom that removes litter, including, but not limited to, such beverage containers and other debris from streets, sidewalks and abutting lawn and turf areas."
- Payments to towns for 10/01/21-03/31/22
- Payments to towns for 04/01/22-09/30/22
- Payments to towns for 10/01/22-03/31/2023
- Payments to towns for 04/01/23-09/30/23
Additional Resources
Legislative Text for Bottle Bill Areas of Input
Public Act 21-58
The Bottle Bill Stakeholder Notice
CT DEEP Bottle Bill Stakeholder Process press release
Main page of the CT Bottle Bill
Content last updated February 2023