2023 BOTTLE BILL VETO OVERRIDE
Senator Westman needs to hear from you ahead of the veto override vote in January!
Contact Senator Westman at
(802) 644-2297
Some key reasons to support modernizing the Bottle Bill are:
It will increase recycling and produce higher-quality recyclables
- For real environmental sustainability, we need to turn bottles into new bottles – and the only material clean enough to do that is Bottle Bill material.
- Vermont’s Bottle Bill only covers 46% of beverage containers in the state. Compare that to Maine’s law, which covers 91%.
- One of Vermont’s two single-stream recycling facilities was found to have been secretly and illegally dumping 18,000 tons of glass for years. When not secretly dumped or stored indefinitely, much of the glass is used for low-end construction uses. 98% of Bottle Bill glass is recycled, and the majority is made into new bottles.
- Vermonters buy more than 200 million single-use plastic water bottles each year and none of them are covered by the Bottle Bill!
Increasing redemption options is essential for consumer convenience
- H.158 includes requirements for more redemption centers across the state; a minimum of three redemption centers per county, along with a redemption center in any densely populated downtown and in any municipality of 7,000 or more people.
- Lamoille county currently has only one certified redemption center.
It helps small businesses
- H.158 takes several steps to make redemption centers more efficient and profitable. The bill is supported by a large majority of redemption centers, including Morrisville Beverage. It also exempts small grocers from having to participate in the program.
It’s common sense, and it’s what Vermonters want!
- 83% of Vermonters support expanding the Bottle Bill as H.158 would do
- Many of the beverages we buy today didn’t exist in 1972 when the Bottle Bill was passed. That includes water bottles, sports drinks and the like.
- Hard cider is sold right next to beer in the grocery store. It only makes sense to treat these containers the same way.
- Something personal! What’s your experience with the Bottle Bill? Why do you like it?
*For more information on the Bottle Bill, visit vpirg.org/recycling