Lawmakers push ahead with testimony on a modernized bottle bill
By Emma Cotton
Vermont’s bottle redemption system, commonly called the “bottle bill,” relies on a law passed in 1972 — before some of today’s common beverages broadly entered the market.
A bill working its way through the state Legislature would modernize the law and expand what it includes.
The redemption system charges consumers a deposit, worth a few cents, when they buy certain beverages, then allows them to recoup that money when they return the empty containers to redemption centers and retail markets.
H.175, the bill currently under consideration, would increase that deposit from 5 to 10 cents, except for liquor containers, which would have a 15-cent deposit.
