The Vermont Legislature will have the chance to override Gov. Scott’s veto of the modernized Bottle Bill in 2024 – here’s what you need to know and how you can help:
CLICK THE SECTIONS TO EXPAND
OVERVIEW
Our most successful recycling program
The Bottle Bill is Vermont’s most popular and successful recycling program, improving and increasing recycling. Bottle Bills are viewed as an essential piece of a circular economy solution to reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions. But ours is antiquated. By updating it, we can expand the program’s impact.
For decades, VPIRG has worked to modernize the Bottle Bill to cover non-carbonated beverages like bottled water, wine, and sports drink containers and to make the program more convenient for consumers and beneficial to small businesses.
And we’ve celebrated some big victories along the way – including passing a modernization bill (H.158) through the Legislature with strong, tri-partisan votes in 2023.
This bill includes:
- An update of the type of containers covered to include water bottles, wine, hard cider and more,
- A requirement to add more redemption centers across the state, and
- Support for our current redemption centers and small grocers.
Despite the broad public support for the Bottle Bill legislation (83% of Vermonters), stakeholders’ support (industry groups, several waste haulers, a significant majority of redemption centers), and support from the governor’s own environmental agency and several solid waste districts on certain elements of the legislation – Governor Scott sided with industry opponents, vetoing H.158 on June 29th.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
The House and Senate will likely vote to override the Governor’s veto at the beginning of the legislative session in early 2024. But we currently don’t have enough votes secured in the Senate to win. That’s where you come in!
We need folks to reach out to their Senators and let them know that you want them to support the override vote on H.158. Particularly if your Senator is listed below. Click on a senator’s name to send an email that legislator.
Senator Chittenden (D, Chittenden Southeast)
SEE HOW YOUR SENATOR VOTED
NO VOTES:
Senator Brock (R, Franklin)
Senator Chittenden (D, Chittenden Southeast)
Senator Collamore (R, Rutland)
Senator Ingalls (R, Rutland)
Senator Kitchel (D, Caledonia)
Senator Mazza (D, Grand Isle)
Senator Norris (R, Franklin)
Senator Sears (D, Bennington)
Senator Starr (D, Orleans)
Senator Weeks (R, Rutland)
Senator Williams (R, Rutland)
YES VOTES:
Senator Baruth (D/P, Chittenden Central)
Senator Bray (D, Addison)
Senator Campion (D, Bennington)
Senator Clarkson (D, Windsor)
Senator Cummings (D, Washington)
Senator Gulick (D, Chittenden Central)
Senator Hardy (D, Addison)
Senator Harrison (D, Windham)
Senator Hashim (D, Windham)
Senator Lyons (D, Chittenden Southeast)
Senator MacDonald (D, Orange)
Senator McCormack (D, Windsor)
Senator Perchlik (D/P, Washington)
Senator Ram-Hinsdale (D, Chittenden Southeast)
Senator Vyhovsky (P/D, Chittenden Central)
Senator Watson (D/P, Washington)
Senator Westman (R, Lamoille)
Senator White (D, Windsor)
Senator Wrenner (D, Grand Isle)
WHY THE BOTTLE BILL?
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. 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