Committee Hearing for the Bottle Bill - SB 1037: An Act Concerning Solid Waste Management

Committee Hearing for the Bottle Bill - SB 1037: An Act Concerning Solid Waste Management

Time Range For Action Alert: 
Mar 26 2021 to Mar 31 2021

 

The Environment Committee will vote on this year’s Bottle Bill on Wednesday, March 31, at 10 AM contained in SB 1037: An Act Concerning Solid Waste Management.

Action is needed now to make redemption more convenient, reduce litter and lower costs to municipalities and taxpayers by diverting more recyclable materials from municipal waste. 

 

STEP 1- Before Wednesday, March 31, if one or more of your legislators is on the Environment Committee, please ask the legislator to vote "yes" to advance the bill.

 View Environment Commitee Members List

Sample message:
 
To: [Committee Member]
Subject: Support SB 1037
Dear [ Name of Committee Member]:
I am [Your Name] from [Town or Zip Code] and I write in support of SB 1037 which would update the Bottle Bill to help make recycling work, reduce litter, and lower costs to municipalities. Please vote "yes" on this bill and send it to the House and Senate for a vote.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Town or Zip Code]
 

STEP 2- If you have not yet asked your legislators to co-sponsor the bill, please do so.

Not sure who your legislators are or how to contact them? Use the Connecticut Business & Industry Association lookup tool:

FIND YOUR LEGISLATORS 

Thank you to those who have asked legislators to co-sponsor. 

As of March 26, 2021, the following legislators are co-sponsors: 

  • Rep. Aimee Berger-Girvalo, 111th Dist.
  • Rep. Mary M. Mushinsky, 85th Dist.
  • Rep. Mike Demicco, 21st Dist.
  • Rep. Maria P. Horn, 64th Dist.
  • Rep. David Michel, 146th Dist.
  • Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, 18th Dist.
  • Rep. Michael Winkler, 56th Dist.
  • Rep Edwin Vargas, 6th Dist.

STEP 3- Please report any responses from legislators to Kathy Golas at kcgolas [at] aol.com. Thank you.

Highlights of the bill:

  • Raises the handling fee on covered containers to 3.5 cents. (Effective July of 2021)
  • Increases the deposit on covered containers from 5 to 10 cents. (Effective January 2022)
  • Expands the program to cover non-carbonated beverages including juices, teas, sports drinks, kombucha, hard cider and liquor nips. (Effective July 2022)
  • Brings wine and liquor into the program in 2024, unless DEEP certifies that more than 80% of wine and liquor beverage containers sold in CT during the 2023 calendar year were processed into furnace-ready cullet for use in glass or fiberglass products
  • Allows beverage distributor to keep 18% of the unclaimed deposits, to help offset the cost of the handling fee raise.

Includes a series of changes to update/modernize the existing statute to reflect current market practice.

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For more information:

 

Bottle Bill FactsheetPrimer on the Bottle Bill

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Issues referenced by this action alert: 
Environment