Bill text| Bill Number and Name | Senate Bill 200 Bill text |
|---|---|
| Primary Sponsor | Natural Resources Committee |
| Beverages Covered | liquors, malt beverages, mineral water, soft drinks, and juice. Excludes milk, infant formula, and "medical food" |
| Containers Covered | metal, glass or plastic, up to one gallon. Excludes cartons, foil pouches, and boxes |
| Deposits | 5¢ (may be increased to 10¢) |
| Handling Fees | Variable, based on amount of unclaimed deposits |
| Reclamation System | Return to retail or redemption center |
| Unredeemed Deposits | Retained by department of health and environment in a "returnable container deposit fund" |
Under this proposed system, distributors are not part of the deposit system; rather retailers initiate the deposit and hand over all funds to the department of health and environment, to be kept in the "returnable container deposit fund."
The 5¢ deposit shall remain in effect unless a 60% recycling rate has not been achieved by July 2013, in which case, the deposit will be increased to 10¢.
Retailers may refuse to accept returns if they sponsor a redemption center within 10 miles of their location. The process for establishing a redemption center is laid out. The bill specifies other rules regarding bulk redemptions, vending machines, allowable limits on daily redemptions, and penalties for violations.
Money in the returnable container deposit is set aside for deposit refunds and administrative costs. After these have been paid, the remaining funds at the end of the fiscal year are divided 50/50 between the state and the redemption centers. Each redemption center receives a payment relative to the percentage of containers redeemed that year, with a minimum payment of $25.
February 11, 2011: Introduced in Senate
February 14, 2011: Referred to Committee on Natural Resources