DEEP Begins Stakeholder Engagement on
Bottle Bill Implementation
Announces Public Hearing on Monday, August 9
(HARTFORD, CT) — The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is seeking public input on the implementation of new legislation that updates and modernizes Connecticut’s Bottle Bill, and will be holding a public meeting on this process on Monday, August 9 at 2 p.m.
With the passage of Public Act 21-58, An Act Concerning Solid Waste Management, as well as June Special Session, Public Act 21-2 , An 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.
The Bottle Bill, also known as a container redemption program, 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 that have modernized their infrastructure and laws, have achieved redemption rates approaching of upwards of 90%. The Bottle Bill provides source-separated material that can be readily recycled into new containers or other products.
Public Act 21-58 provides for:
- Increased handling fee for containers effective October 1, 2021
- Expansion of the types of containers covered under the Bottle Bill effective July 1, 2023
- Increased deposit on containers effective January 1, 2024
- Other requirements aimed at making redemption of containers more convenient for consumers
The Public Act also sets the stage for future enhancements to the bottle bill through a series of actions. DEEP has responsibility for several Bottle Bill-related actions pursuant to recent legislative actions. As a first step in effectively implementing such responsibilities, DEEP is convening a stakeholder engagement process on DEEP’s Implementation of Public Act 21-58: Bottle Bill Modernization to identify overall objectives, process, timeline, and other components of this implementation that DEEP should consider, within the framework established by P.A. 21-58 and June Special Session Public Act 21-2.
A public meeting on this process will be held virtually:
Monday, August 9, 2021, 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
To participate in this meeting, please register at
DEEP also welcomes written comments on the above topic. Comments may be submitted to
chris.nelson@ct.gov with the subject line “
Bottle Bill Modernization.” Comments should be submitted in PDF form
by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, August 27, 2021.
__________
More information on Connecticut’s Bottle Bill Modernization
Stakeholder Process can be found at
To add your name to the distribution list for the
Bottle Bill Modernization Stakeholder Process, please go to
