State Name Dates Beverages Covered Containers Covered Amount of Deposit Handling Fee Other Fees Reclamation System Unredeemed Deposits Program Success History
 
California California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act (AB 2020) Enacted 9/29/1986 Implemented 9/1/1987 beer, malt, wine & distilled spirits coolers, all non-alcoholic beverages except milk Aluminum. glass, plastic and bi-metal. Exempts refillables (10¢: 24oz and greater) and (5¢: under 24oz.) (Paid by state to supermarket sites, nonprofit convenience zone recyclers, and rural region recyclers.) .859¢(b) Beverage manufacturers pay Processing Fees to offset recyclers costs when the cost of recycling exceeds the value of material. Processing Payments paid by state to redemption centers. Processing fees and payments vary by container type. State certified redemption centers, registered curbside operations, dropoffs Property of state: used for program administration and grants to non-profits 2009 Recycling rates:
Overall 82%
aluminum 91%,
glass 80%
#1 PET 73%
#2 HDPE 109%
#3 PVC 0%
#4 LDPE 1%
#5 PP 1%
#6 PS 2%
#7 other 8%
bimetal 10%
See Biannual Report of Beverage Container Sales, Returns, Redemption, and Recycling Rates for more stats.		 Amended in 1990, 2000, 2004, and 2007
Notes: Containers are returned to licensed redemption centers, not to retailers; Refund value determined by weight for more than 50 containers
 
Connecticut Beverage Container Deposit and Redemption Law Enacted 4/12/78; Implemented 1/1/80 Beer, malt, carbonated soft drinks,and bottled water[p] Any individual, separate, sealed glass, metal or plastic bottle, can, jar or carton containing a beverage. [e] Excluded are containers over 3L containing noncarbonated beverages, and HDPE containers. 5¢ Beer 1.5¢, other beverages 2¢   Retail stores and redemption centers Returned to the State No statistics available Amended in 1983, 1986, and 2009
Notes: "Dislocation fund" for workers who lost their jobs due to bottle bill
 
Delaware Beverage Container Regulation Enacted 6/30/82, Implemented 1/15/83 Beer, malt, ale, soft drinks, mineral water, soda water All beverage containers under 2qt. Excludes aluminum 5¢ 20% of deposit (1¢)   Retail stores and redemption centers Retained by distributor/bottlers No statistics available  
Notes: Redemption centers must submit reports regularly, Refund may be calculated by weight
 
Hawaii Solid Waste Management; Deposit Beverage Container Law (Act 176) Enacted 6/25/02, Implemented 1/1/05 all nonalcoholic drinks, except for milk or dairy products, and limited alcoholic drinks (beer, malt beverages, mixed spirits, mixed wine). Aluminum, bi-metal, glass, plastic (PET and HDPE only) up to 68 oz. 5¢ Variable fee of 2–4¢ paid to redemption centers from the Deposit Beverage Container Fund. [r] 1¢ non-refundable "container fee" (added to price of beverage) paid to fund redemption centers.[d] Certified Redemption Centers (CRCs) operated by privately owned by State permitted Solid Waste facilities.[c] Property of state: used for program administration Redemption rate of 72% in fiscal year 2008(q)
79% as of November 2009(o)		 Expanded in 2007
Notes: Redemption centers must submit reports regularly, Refund may be calculated by weight
 
Iowa Beverage Container Deposit Law Enacted 4/1/78, Implemented 6/2/79 Beer, carbonated soft drinks & mineral water, wine coolers, wine & liquor any sealed glass, plastic, or metal bottle, can, jar or carton containing a beverage 5¢ 1¢, paid by distributor to retailer or redemption center   Retail stores and redemption centers Retained by distributor/bottlers overall 93% (g)  
Notes: Wine/liquor containers included; deposit containers were banned from landfills in 1990; if agreement exists w/licensed center, retailer can refuse containers
 
Massachusetts Beverage Container Recovery Law Enacted 6/4/81, Implemented 1/1/83 Beer, malt, carbonated soft drinks, & mineral water any sealable bottle, can, jar, or carton of glass, metal, plastic, or combo. Excludes biodegradables. 5¢ 2.25¢   Retail stores and redemption centers Property of state general fund 70.3% return rate in FY2009(h) Amended in 1990 and 2003
Notes: Wholesalers must file monthly reports w/Dept. of Revenue re: deposit & refund, Survived repeal by referendum effort in 1982 by a 60% to 40% vote.
 
Maine Maine Returnable Beverage Container Law Enacted 1//2/76, Implemented 6/1/78 All beverages except dairy products and unprocessed cider all sealed containers made of glass, metal or plastic, containing 4 liters or less, excluding aseptics Wine/liquor: 15¢ All others: 5¢ 4¢ (.5¢ less if part of qualified commingling agreement) (m)   Retail stores and redemption centers; Dealers may refuse containers if they have an agreement with a nearby redemption center Property of state No statistics available Amended in 1980, 1990, 1991, 1993, 2003, 2009
Notes: Distributors who initiate deposits have the obligation to pick up containers from the dealers they deliver to or from the licensed redemption center that serves those dealers.There is a per container fine of $100 for tendering containers purchased out of state for redemption.
 
Michigan Michigan Beverage Container Law Enacted 11/2/76, Implemented 12/3/78 Beer, soft drinks, carbonated & mineral water, wine coolers, canned cocktails Any airtight metal, glass, paper, or plastic container, or a combination, under 1 gallon 10¢ None   Retail stores 75% to state for envt'l programs, 25% to retailers overall 96.9% (i) Amended in 1989
Notes: Only state with a 10 cent deposit
 
New York New York State Returnable Container Law Enacted 6/15/82, Implemented 7/1/83 Beer, malt, carbonated soft drinks, water, wine coolers airtight metal, glass, paper, plastic, or combination of the above, under 1 gallon 5¢ 3.5¢   Retail stores and redemption centers 80% to the state General Fund; 20% retained by distributor (beer 77.4%) (soft drink 61.6%); (overall 70.2%) [j] Amended in 1983, 1998, and 2009
Notes: Requires reporting of containers sold and redeemed by bottlers and distributors
 
Oregon The Beverage Container Act Enacted 7/2/71, Implemented 1/01/72 Beer, malt, carbonated soft drinks. Bottled water beginning in 2009 Any individual, separate, sealed glass, metal or plastic bottle, can, jar containing a beverage Standard refillable: 2¢; all others 5¢ none   Retail stores Retained by distributor/ bottlers overall 84% (k) Expanded 1/1/08
Notes: Only deposit law without a handling fee
 
Vermont Beverage Container Law (1972), Solid Waste Act (1987) Enacted 4/7/72, Implemented 7/1/73 Beer, malt, carbonated soft drinks, mixed wine drinks; liquor Any bottle, can, jar or carton composed of glass, metal, paper, plastic or any combination (Biodegradables excluded) liquor: 15¢ All others: 5¢ 4¢ for brand-sorted containers and 3.5¢ for commingled brands   Retail stores and redemption centers, If retailer is located conveniently near a licensed center and thereby gains state approval, retailer may refuse containers Retained by distributor/bottlers overall 85% (l) Expanded in 1991
Notes:
 
All States  
  Notes: Food Stamps: Food stamp benefits can cover the entire cost of items such as eligible drinks in returnable bottles, including the bottle deposit. [n]

Footnotes

[a] Rates are for time periods indicated in the notes.

[b] Source: CalRecycle. Processing Fee and Handling Fee Cost Surveys: Handling Fee Final Report. p.3-3. March 8, 2010.

[c] Retailer exemptions vary depending on local population density, proximity to a redemption center, and store size.

[d] Fee funds redemption center operations. Fee based on the previous year's redemption rate: if previous year's rate is less than 70%, the fee is 1¢/container, otherwise 1.5¢

[e] Prohibits metal containers with removable tabs and containers with non-biodegradable holders (i.e. plastic 6-pack rings) from being sold in the state

[g] Source: Bill Blum, Iowa DNR Land Quality Bureau. 

[h] Source: Mass. DEP, MA BOTTLE BILL RETURN RATE INFORMATION FY 1990 - FY 2009 [pdf]

[i] Source: Michigan Department of Treasury, Bottle Deposit Information Chart, 1990-2008. [pdf]

[j] Source: New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Beverage Container Deposit & Redemption Statistics (October 1, 2001 to September 30, 2002). 

[k] Source: Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, as per e-mail communication from Peter Spendelow on 8/2/01 (year 2000 estimate). 

[l] Source: Vermont Solid Waste Division, as per phone conversation with Cathy Stacey on 4/8/10. 

[m] Source: Statutes of Maine: Title 32: Chapter 28: Section 4-c (http://janus.state.me.us/legis/statutes/32/title32sec1866.html)

[n] Source: The Food Stamp Program: Training Guide for Retailers. USDA Food and Nutrition Service. December 2002 (http://www.dss.state.va.us/pub/pdf/ebt_retguide.pdf) 

[o] Source: Amelia Hicks, Hawaii DOH

[p] This is further explained on the Bottle Bill FAQ page (http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2714&q=324834&depNav_GID=1645) as follows. "Effective April 1, 2009, 'noncarbonated beverages' are now included in the Bottle Bill. For this section of the law, 'noncarbonated beverages' means water, including flavored water, nutritionally enhanced water and any beverage that is identified through the use of letters, words or symbols on such beverage's product label as a type of water, but excluding juice and mineral water." Mineral water is included in the law, but is considered a carbonated beverage.

[q] Source: Hawaii Department of Health. "HI-5 Recycling Program Redemption Rate Remains High at 76 Percent; No Container Fee Increase." August 4, 2010

[r] 4¢ for glass to be used in remanufacturing applications, 2¢ for glass to be used in construction & agriculture applications. Source: Hawaii Department of Health. "Handling Fee Adjustment For Glass Deposit Containers." September 9, 2008
Handling fees for aluminum, bi-metal, and plastic are 2¢ for Oahu and 3¢ for neighbor islands. Source: email communication with Jennifer Tosaki. July 6, 2010

[s] Source: CalRecycle. "2010 Processing Fees." December 15, 2009. http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/BevContainer/Fees/Processing/default.htm

[t] Source: CalRecycle. "2010 Processing Payments." December 15, 2009. http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/BevContainer/Payments/Processing/default.htm