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.
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.
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!)