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By DENNIS VALERA, ROB POLANSKY - June 4, 2021
HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) -- Lawmakers approved a bill that could get customers more from the state for their bottles.
Right now, customers who bring bottles to redemption centers get $0.05 per bottle or can. The bill would increase that to $0.10.
The state Senate passed the bill earlier this week. The House of Representatives approved it with some revisions on Thursday.
It now heads to Gov. Ned Lamont's desk for his signature.
"Connecticut's greatest strength is its highly educated workforce," said Sen. James Maroney, a Democrat who represents Milford. "This bill ensures we will continue that advantage in to the future, and that we match the skills of our residents with those that are needed by our businesses, as a quality workforce is essential for a successful business climate."
The increase would happen in Jan. 2024.
The bill would also add containers for juice, teas, sports and energy drinks, as well as hard cider and hard seltzer containers.
A group that cleans up litter along the Naugatuck River, the Naugatuck River Revival Group, said this bill is sorely needed and it will definitely help it out.
"It's going to be an accumulative effect over time. This is a forward-looking project. I think this bill is one of the more tangible and effective pieces of legislation the state of Connecticut could possibly do right now,” said Kevin Zak, founder of the Naugatuck River Revival Group.
The bill adds a nonrefundable $0.05 surcharge per bottle.
Wholesalers will use those to make payments to municipalities twice a year. The money is expected to pay for litter and recycling programs.
Advocates said it is a concession to the liquor lobby.
"Without a deposit on liquor nips, there is no incentive to pick those nips up off of the ground when they're discarded [and] tossed out instead of recycled,” said Louis Rosado Burch, of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment.
Rosado Burch added that it’s not even guaranteed the funds will go toward clean up.
"There's just a hope that municipalities will use that money to address litter issues, including nips,” she said.
Not all advocates for the bill are 100 percent on board with it.
To pass the Senate on Wednesday, a compromise had to be made on smaller liquor bottles, known as nips.
The bill also will raise handling fees paid to redemption centers, and make incentives for women and minorities to open more of these centers in underserved communities.
“By increasing the deposit fee to ten cents and expanding the fee to other types of cans and bottles, the bill will provide a strong incentive for people and organizations to collect and redeem bottles. The bill will also make it easier for people to redeem bottles and cans by requiring big box stores to make reverse vending machines or redemption areas available,” said Betsy Gara, executive director, Connecticut Council of Small Towns. “In the past, recycled materials were a big revenue generator for towns. Unfortunately, due in large part to China’s decision to no longer accept recyclables from the U.S., towns are now facing significant costs in managing recyclables. Modernizing the bottle bill will help produce a cleaner stream of recyclables, which will increase their value."