A bill looking to modernize the state’s 40-year old bottle law has been included in the Senate’s One-House Budget.
State Senator Rachel May’s Bigger Better Bottle Bill seeks to increase recycling and reduce litter by adding drink containers such as carbonated beverages, wine, and liquor bottles to the state’s redeemable bottle list as well as raising the bottle deposit from five to ten cents.
May says that, by increasing the amount of bottles being recycled, more jobs will be created at redemption centers across the state.
The Senate, Assembly, and Governor’s Office will now work on a compromise budget for fiscal year 2024.
“After 40 years, it’s time to modernize New York’s returnables law with my Bigger, Better Bottle Bill. When the original bottle bill was implemented in 1983, the variety of bottles we use was much narrower than today. So, it only makes sense to add bottles to the list, making our communities cleaner and our recycling system more resilient by reducing waste. Increasing the deposit from a nickel to a dime will help incentivize the return of bottles, which will reduce litter, create jobs at redemption centers, and support community members who salvage bottles and cans for recycling. The uncollected bottle deposits will go into New York’s successful environmental protection fund, which invests in many projects to help protect our environment. I look forward to working with Governor Hochul and my colleagues in the Senate Majority to make the Bigger, Better Bottle Bill a reality,” said Senator Rachel May.
