| Name | Beverage Container Law | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purpose | Reduce litter, increase recycling, reduce waste disposal costs, create local jobs and save energy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Enacted | 4/7/1972 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date Implemented | 7/1/1973 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Regulations | Vermont Statutes, Sec. 4b. 10 V.S.A. § 1388 and Title 10, Chapter 53 §1521 - §1530 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Beverages Covered | Beer, malt beverages (including but not limited to hard seltzer), carbonated soft drinks and sparkling water, mixed wine drinks, liquor (over 50 mL only), and canned cocktails containing liquor. Does not include hard cider.[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Containers Covered | Any bottle, can, jar or carton composed of glass, metal, paper, plastic or any combination (biodegradables excluded). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Amount of Deposit |
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| Reclamation System | Retail stores and redemption centers. If retailer is located conveniently near a licensed center and thereby gains state approval, retailer may refuse containers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Handling Fee | 4¢ for brand-sorted containers and 3.5¢ for commingled brands | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unredeemed Deposits | Since the container deposit law's inception, Vermont distributors and bottlers have kept unclaimed deposits for non-liquor containers, while the Vermont Department of Liquor Control has retained all unclaimed deposits on liquor containers. On 5/30/2018, VT Gov. Phil Scott signed S.285 to make unclaimed deposits for non-liquor containers the property of the State for use on clean water programs. The change took effect on 10/1/2019. From that date through 12/31/2021, the State has retained approximately $6.8 million in unclaimed deposit revenues from non-liquor containers.[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Redemption Rates |
Prior to 2019, redemption rates for non-liquor deposit containers had not been measured or reported on annually.
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| % of All Beverages Sold That Are Covered By Deposit | 46% [5] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Details
The deposit law in Vermont prohibits certain containers from being sold in the state: namely metal containers with detachable parts, and containers held together by plastic rings or other non-biodegradable materials.
Manufacturers are required to pay handling fees to redemption centers (and stores) that collect empty containers. Manufacturers who are not part of a commingling program, and thus require the redemption center to separate their brand for pickup, pay the redemption center a 4¢ handling fee. Manufacturers that allow their containers to be commingled with the containers of other brands can take advantage of a lower, 3.5¢, fee. Brand owners that wish to create a commingling program must follow certain procedures, outlined in the January 2010 report to legislature on the commingling pilot program [pdf].
By law, redemption centers and retailers should not accept containers which are not labeled with the Vermont refund value, and the Agency of Natural Resources may penalize those businesses that do redeem unlabeled containers. Procedures for auditing these "foreign containers" are also laid out in the January 2010 report to legislature on the commingling pilot program [pdf]. Redemption centers and retailers are also permitted to refuse dirty and broken containers; retailers may refuse all containers if they have been approved by the Agency because they are located near a redemption center.
Beverage companies are required to register each beverage container with the Agency of Natural Resources.
On May 30, 2018, the Vermont governor signed into law S.285 (Act 208), requiring deposit initiators (manufacturers or distributors, depending on the distribution agreement) to report and remit unclaimed deposits quarterly for non-liquor redeemable beverage containers, effective October 1, 2019. Liquor is distributed by the Department of Liquor Control; they are the deposit initiators and retain unclaimed deposits on liquor containers for Department use; they report publicly on sales and redemption through annual reports [6].
Footnotes
[1] Personal communication from Rebecca Webber, Administrator. Vermont Beverage Container Law. April 21, 2022.
[2] "Unclaimed bottle deposits will now fund Vermont clean water programs." Brian Wallstin, MyChamplainValley.com, May 31, 2018. Link to enabling legislation S.285, (link as enacted); personal communication from Rebecca Webber, Administrator. Vermont Beverage Container Law. Cumulative total of unclaimed deposit revenue calculated by adding up reported "deposits abandoned" from October 1, 2019- December 31, 2021. July 15, 2019 and April 12, 2022.
[3] Personal communication from Rebecca Webber, Administrator. Vermont Beverage Container Law. August 28, 2020 and February 16, 2021. See also "Commingling of Beverage Brands in VT Bottle Bill."
[4] Vermont Department of Liquor Control Annual Reports: https://liquorcontrol.vermont.gov/about-us/annual-reports
[5]"2019 Beverage Market Data Analysis." Container Recycling Institute. 2022.
[6] See Footnote 4.
Last Updated May 15, 2023.