Cecily Zamora
In 1976, Maine became the third US state to enact a beverage container deposit program, commonly referred to as the Bottle Bill. This law was enacted following a referendum and went into effect in 1978. The Bottle Bill is a successful waste and litter reduction law that has helped keep Maine's roadsides clean. Over the years, the Bottle Bill has undergone several amendments and revisions, with the most recent ones being passed in 2023 to modernize the program and address challenges faced by local redemption centers.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year of enactment | 1978 |
| Name of the law | Maine Returnable Beverage Container Law |
| Popular names | Bottle Bill, "the Bottle Bill" |
| Deposit fee | 5 cents or 15 cents |
| Handling fee | 4.5 cents (increased to 5.5 cents in May 2023 and 6 cents in September 2023) |
| Year of modernization | 2023 |
| Modernization laws | LD 134, LD 1909 |
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What You'll Learn
Maine's Bottle Bill
In 1976, Maine became the third US state to enact a beverage container deposit program, after Oregon and Vermont. This policy, known as the Bottle Bill, came into effect in 1978 and aimed to reduce roadside litter. It was a success, with Maine residents recycling most of the bottles and cans sold in the state.
Under the Bottle Bill, manufacturers, distributors, or sellers of bottled/canned beverages collect a deposit fee (five or fifteen cents) for every beverage container sold in the state. Beverage retailers pass this cost onto the consumer at the time of purchase. This deposit encourages consumers to return their containers to a redemption center to reclaim their deposit. The redemption center then receives the deposit fee from the deposit initiator (or their representative) and a 'per container' handling fee. The containers are then recycled.
Over the years, the Bottle Bill has faced repeated attempts to unravel the program by beverage companies, such as Coca-Cola, seeking to prioritize their interests over those of Maine municipalities, redemption centers, charities, and the environment. However, Maine voters have consistently opposed these efforts, with more than 300 sporting, civic, and environmental groups supporting the Bottle Bill in the 1976 referendum.
In 2022, Maine's Bottle Bill program faced an emergency as redemption centers struggled to remain open due to rising costs caused by inflation. This issue was addressed with the passage of LD 134 and LD 1909 in 2023, which modernized the Bottle Bill program. These laws increased the handling fee paid to redemption centers, streamlined the redemption process, and established a commingling cooperative to oversee the collection, processing, and recycling of all beverage containers in the program.
The Bottle Bill has been integral to Maine's culture, with hundreds of residents building their lives and small businesses around bottle redemption. It has also contributed to waste reduction, with cleaner roadsides and less litter across the state.
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Redemption centre struggles
Maine's Returnable Beverage Container Law, commonly referred to as "the Bottle Bill", was enacted in 1978. It is considered the state's most successful waste and litter reduction law in history.
However, over the years, the Bottle Bill program has faced several challenges and struggles, particularly regarding the operation of redemption centres. Inflation and labour shortages have threatened the viability of redemption centres, which are crucial to the program's success. The program has also had to deal with the challenge of sorting and handling an increasing variety of bottles and cans, posing operational complexities and higher costs.
The success of the Bottle Bill has led to the creation of small businesses and entire livelihoods built around bottle redemption. However, rising costs, including increased rent and the challenge of competing with restaurants for employees, have made it difficult for some redemption centres to stay in business. As a result, some centres have been forced to close, leading to concerns about the emergence of "redemption centre deserts".
In recent years, Maine has taken steps to modernise and streamline its bottle redemption system. In 2019, the law was revised to require better reporting and tracking of beverage containers sold and picked up from redemption centres. In 2023, the state passed LD 1909, which introduced key changes, including the creation of a "'commingling cooperative' to simplify sorting and handling and improve efficiency. These efforts aim to address the challenges faced by redemption centres and ensure the continued success of the Bottle Bill program.
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Deposit fees
In Maine, the deposit fee for beverage containers is either five or fifteen cents, paid by the consumer at the time of purchase. This deposit encourages consumers to return their containers to a redemption centre to reclaim their deposit. The deposit initiator then collects the containers from the redemption centre and pays them the deposit fee, plus a 'per container' handling fee.
In 2023, the governor of Maine enacted emergency legislation to raise the handling fee from 4.5 cents to 5.5 cents starting on May 1st, and to 6 cents from September 1st, 2023. This change was made to address the rising costs faced by redemption centres due to inflation. The handling fee is separate from the deposit amount, which is reimbursed to the consumer when they redeem containers.
The deposit fee is a key component of Maine's Returnable Beverage Container Law, commonly known as the Bottle Bill. This law was enacted in 1978 and has been a successful waste and litter reduction strategy in the state. It has also led to the development of small businesses centred around bottle redemption. The Bottle Bill has faced opposition from beverage companies and out-of-state interests, but Maine voters have consistently supported it.
In 2023, Maine passed LD 1909, "An Act to Modernize Maine's Beverage Container Redemption Law," which introduced changes to improve and streamline the state's bottle bill program. This included the establishment of a commingling cooperative to oversee the collection, processing, and recycling of all beverage containers in the program. The law also shifted the sorting of containers from brand-level to material-type sorting, which is intended to improve the efficiency of the redemption process.
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Container sorting
Maine's Returnable Beverage Container Law, commonly referred to as "the Bottle Bill", was first enacted in 1978. It is a highly successful waste and litter reduction law that has played a significant role in Maine's culture. Hundreds of small businesses in Maine are centred around bottle redemption, and the law has helped cities and towns reduce waste.
Over the years, Maine's Bottle Bill has faced numerous attempts by beverage companies to unravel the program, but it has been successfully defended. In 1980, Maine voters rejected proposals to rescind the returnable bottle law. In 2023, two laws, LD 134 and LD 1909, were passed to modernise the Bottle Bill program and address challenges faced by local redemption centres.
The Bottle Bill program involves manufacturers, distributors, or sellers of bottled/canned beverages collecting a deposit fee (five cents or fifteen cents) for every beverage container sold in the state. Beverage retailers include this cost in the price charged to the consumer. This deposit encourages consumers to return their containers to a redemption centre to reclaim their deposit. The deposit initiator or their representative then collects the containers from the redemption centre, reimbursing the deposit fee plus a 'per container' handling fee. The containers are then recycled.
The new laws aim to streamline the Bottle Bill program and make it more efficient. One significant change is the shift from brand-level sorting of beverage containers to material-type sorting, including plastic, glass, steel, and aluminium. This new framework is expected to reduce operational costs and improve the efficiency of the bottle redemption process.
Additionally, the laws introduced a "'commingling cooperative', a centralised entity responsible for overseeing the collection, processing, and recycling of all beverage containers in the commingling program. This cooperative will coordinate the efforts of the commingling groups and facilitate the transition to full commingling. By 2025, the commingling cooperative will manage all unredeemed deposits, and by 2026, Maine law requires that 25% of all plastic beverage containers sold must be made with recycled plastics.
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Beverage container law
In 1976, Maine became the third US state to enact a beverage container deposit program, after Oregon and Vermont. The law, commonly referred to as "the Bottle Bill", came into effect in 1978.
Under the program, manufacturers, distributors, or sellers of bottled or canned beverages collect a deposit fee (five or fifteen cents) for every beverage container sold in the state. Beverage retailers pass this cost onto the consumer at the time of purchase. The deposit encourages consumers to return their containers to a redemption center to reclaim their deposit. The redemption center then receives the deposit fee, plus a 'per container' handling fee, from the deposit initiator.
Over the years, the Bottle Bill has faced repeated attempts by beverage companies to unravel the program. However, Maine voters have consistently opposed attempts to rescind the law, with more than 300 sporting, civic, and environmental groups supporting the bill in the 1976 referendum.
In 2023, Maine passed two laws to modernize the Bottle Bill program: LD 134 and LD 1909. These laws introduced several changes, including increasing the handling fee paid to redemption centers, shifting container sorting from brand-level to material-type, and requiring all deposit initiators to enter a commingling agreement by October 15, 2024.
The Bottle Bill has been a successful waste and litter reduction law in Maine, with residents recycling most of the bottles and cans sold in the state. It has also helped reduce roadside litter and supported small businesses and charities that rely on bottle redemption.
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Frequently asked questions
Maine enacted the returnable bottle and can law, also known as the Bottle Bill, in 1978.
The Bottle Bill is a law that requires manufacturers, distributors, or sellers of bottled/canned beverages to collect a deposit fee (five or fifteen cents) for every beverage container sold in the state. This deposit is returned to consumers when they bring their containers to a redemption center.
In 2023, Maine passed two laws, LD 134 and LD 1909, to modernize the Bottle Bill. These laws introduced changes such as increasing the handling fee paid to redemption centers and streamlining the program by eliminating brand-level sorting and shifting to sorting by material type.
