Connecticut now has a comprehensive Bottle Redemption Law. As of January, 2023, the bottles in Connecticut that are now redeemable for 5 cents each include: water, soda, beer, juice, iced tea,and sport drink bottles. This law keeps those bottles, which most are plastic, out of the waste stream. Only 10 states have Bottle Bill Redemption Laws, leaving 40 states without them. This means that millions of bottles are still entering the country’s waste stream. It will be critically important to get the remaining 40 states to enact Bottle Bills.

As an example of a good law that can be replicated, we include Connecticut’s updated Bottle Bill. CT’s first Bottle Bill was enacted in the 1970s and only included water, soda, and beer bottles. With the advent of juice, iced tea and sport drinks becoming so popular, it was important to update the law to include them.