Connecticut must not go backwards on recycling and plastic pollution in our communities
Connecticut’s bottle deposit law (a.k.a. the Bottle Bill) is a convenient and proven effective way to increase recycling and keep our environment free from bottles and cans that would otherwise litter our roadways, beaches, and open spaces. According to national recycling data, states with deposit systems in place have recycling rates that are more than twice as high as states without a bottle deposit, making the Bottle Bill one of the most effective environmental laws in Connecticut—ever!
State legislation (SB 516) has been introduced that would revert Connecticut’s deposit value back to only 5 cents. Rolling back the deposit would be a huge step backwards—more plastic pollution, reduced recycling rates, higher costs for municipalities, and the potential job losses for the more than 1,600 jobs this system supports.
While we support meaningful actions to address issues of redemption fraud, including improved enforcement, weakening the law is not the way to achieve this. Connecticut’s 10 cent deposit results in significantly higher redemption rates—increasing recycling and reducing litter in our communities. Email the Joint Finance Committee today and tell them that you oppose rollbacks to the Bottle Bill!
Sincerely,
All of Us at CCE
