As plastic pollution continues to pose a threat to the environment, many US states have container deposit laws or “bottle bills” that encourage more recycling and less littering. These bills offer refundable deposits on various beverage containers to promote responsible disposal. Some states, as Kitchn reports, are considering expanding these laws.
Walmart and Target, as many shoppers know, already charge customers 5 or 10 cents for purchased bottled beverages. In the near future, the outlet notes, these retailers may be adding an automatic surcharge that customers may not even notice at first. This could lead to changes in your bills and charges, so it’s important to stay informed.
Reducing Plastic Pollution: Understanding the Expansion of Bottle Bills
As the outlet notes, there are ten states with different versions of the bottle bill that are mostly focused on the purchases of "spirits, malt beverages, and soft drinks." These include California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon and Vermont.
Representatives for the State of Vermont, Kitchn adds, are "in talks to expand the bill to include bottled water, juices, and packaged sports drinks." Wine bottles don't require a deposit at the moment, but they would soon also include a 15-cent charge.
Walmart and Target Customers May See a New Automatic Surcharge on Receipts Soon — Here’s What You Need to Knowhttps://t.co/HeRb7C0Mjp
— Julianna Kelly (@Juliann22337201) May 18, 2023
Milk and other dairy products, infant formula, meal replacement drinks, and non-alcoholic cider, however, would "all still be clear from the new changes." If approved, the site writes that the new changes will "go into effect in 2027."
What Are Target and Walmart's Current Policies?
Target and Walmart, as shoppers are probably already aware, usually charge customers 5 or 10 cents when various beverages are purchased. This is so after use, a customer can return their bottle to a store that sells the same type of drink to get money back.
Meaning, as Kitchn points out, if a particular beverage is "sold exclusively at a particular retailer, you can only take it back to that retailer to redeem your deposit."
Many states not only have their own versions of the "bottle bill," but also have yet to announce their own changes to it, and which retailers will be affected. According to the outlet, it’s "only a matter of time" before changes to this bill are enacted, whether in Vermont or elsewhere.
On adjournment day last week, the Vermont House ran out of time before it could vote on Senate amendments to the bottle bill expansion. Final action on the bill will have to wait until the second session of the biennium in 2024. #vtpoli
by @_mheffernan https://t.co/xkBDdmQc7v — Eric Davis (@EricDavisMiddVT) May 17, 2023
If your state does not currently have a bottle bill, "don’t consider yourself in the clear just yet," the publication stresses, as a "number of unidentified states" are said to currently be working on their versions of the bill, too.
(We're keeping an eye out!)
