Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What’s the status of the legislation? We expect the bill to be introduced in early 2025, followed by a hearing for public comment. 

  2. Has this been tried anywhere else? Does it work? Yes! Ten U.S. states have successful bottle bill programs: CA, CT, HW, IA, ME, MA, MI, NY, OR and VT. They also work in Australia, Canada, the European Union and many other countries.

  3. Did the District ever have a beverage container deposit-return program? Yes, decades ago. We’ve talked with older District residents who remember picking up discarded Coke bottles as children and returning them for the deposit money.

  4. Did beverage companies initiate beverage container deposit-return programs? Yes. Industry-created deposit-return programs were common when beverage companies sold their product in refillable glass bottles. The rise of single-use plastic in the 1960s led beverage companies to dismantle these effective programs and unleash skyrocketing litter. It’s time to bring back the District’s deposit-return program and refillable, reusable beverage containers.

  5. What can we learn from existing bottle bills and campaigns? In addition to knowing that bottle bills work, we’re also future-proofing the District bottle bill with triggers for changing the deposit and by not naming specific covered beverages. Some states that set the deposit value or named specific beverages in their legislation have had to update them to keep pace with inflation and as new products come on the market. We’ve also learned the importance of ensuring that it’s easy for District residents to return their containers to get their deposit returned quickly. 

  6. How will beverage companies respond? Beverage companies spend millions of dollars to defeat bottle bills. We expect beverage companies will likely spend money to defeat the District bottle bill, including through ads trying to scare people, and contributions to elected officials. Refer to these FAQs when the scare tactics begin! Bottle bills don’t increase prices for consumers and create more jobs than today’s curbside recycling program.

  7. How will the bottle bill fight lead pollution? Because some people won’t claim their refund, the bottle bill will establish a pool of unclaimed deposit funds that can be used to fund environmental programs, like installing lead water filters for low-income District residents whose lead service line hasn’t been replaced as well as water bottle refill stations. Today, many District residents buy water sold in plastic bottles out of concern for unsafe tap water. But plastic water bottles cause microplastics and risk leaching harmful chemicals.

  8. How will the bottle bill fight plastic pollution? By making sure plastic bottles get collected for recycling and are not left in the environment. Did you know that 337 million plastic bottles are sold in the District each year, but today only 64 million get recycled? With a bottle bill, 285 million plastic bottles will be taken out of the environment and sent for recycling. They will no longer be left in our parks, neighborhoods and waterways to degrade over 450 years. Only PET and HDPE plastic resins can be recycled. These are the only kinds of plastic collected through a bottle bill program.

  9. How will this impact the cost of beverages?  Bottle bills don’t affect retail prices. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection studied retail prices in bottle bill and non-bottle bill states, finding that beverages cost the same in the four states surveyed. They even found some higher prices in the non-bottle bill state.  Prices in chain grocery stores with regional operations were remarkably consistent.

  10. Won’t a bottle bill reduce sales of beverages? No. Another study found no impact on beverage sales by enacting a bottle bill. That’s because beverage companies use a range of factors to set prices and are highly sensitive to competitors’ prices.

  11. How do people get money back from a reverse vending machine? The RVM will print a ticket for your deposit return which you can bring into the store either for a cash refund or to use as a credit if you’re making a purchase.  Watch this video to learn more

  12. How do people get money back at a redemption center? Redemption centers will issue a cash refund or immediately credit the refund to your bottle bill account. We’re advocating for deposit returns to be set up to be directed to a child’s college education fund or a charitable organizations.

  13. Why aren’t big corporations paying for the bottle bill program? They are! They pay a handling fee for bottles and cans to be collected and recycled. That’s why they oppose bottle bills. Beverage companies prefer that District residents bear the brunt of dealing with used beverage containers, including living with polluted parks, waterways and neighborhoods.

  14. How will DC’s bottle bill drive fundraising efforts? Civic and faith-based organizations can organize bottle drives where supporters deliver their containers to the organization which returns them to collect the deposit refund. Bag drop programs in other bottle bill states set up user accounts. Civic and faith-based organizations can ask supporters to direct their deposit refunds to their account. Oregon has linked college education savings accounts with bottle refund accounts. 

  15. Where can I read more about bottle bills? Click here are some helpful links: