A Better Bottle Bill for Massachusetts

Less litter, less waste, less plastic

Right now the Massachusetts legislature has the opportunity to modernize the Bottle Bill. Bottle bills place refundable deposits on bottles and cans and are a proven method for slashing plastic pollution. They cut carbon emissions and pave the way to scaling reusables instead of single-use.

But, the current failings of the bottle bill are obvious: littered nips and bottles are a common sight.

The state’s redemption rate stands at a measly 38%. In comparison, the state of Oregon has a redemption rate of 90% bottles and cans collected back for recycling. We're calling for much-needed improvements to modernize and improve the effectiveness of our Massachusetts bottle bill.

We're advocating for updates that:

• Ensure consistency and reduce confusion about what beverages are covered. More beverage types — like bottled water, sports drinks, juice and nips — should be included in the program.
• Raise the deposit to 10¢ to incentivize redemption and further reduce litter.
• Prioritize reuse and lay the groundwork for a circular refill system.

The good news is, earlier this summer, the state Senate included these updates in an amendment to the Climate Bill, one that covers both climate and plastics legislation. Now, we must rally to ensure this Modernized Bottle Bill stays in the final version of the Climate Bill being decided upon by a Conference Committee.

Can you message your Massachusetts reps?

Why support?

1. You're tired of seeing and picking up litter, and paying taxes for our cities and towns to pick up litter. Modernizing the Bottle Bill would significantly reduce the amount of beverage container and non-beverage container litter in the Commonwealth.
2. To help fight climate change. Modernizing the Bottle Bill will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 387 thousand metric tons per year, the equivalent of taking 84,600 cars off the road for an entire year.
3. It has widespread, bipartisan support. According to a poll released this past week, 82% of registered Massachusetts voters support modernizing the Bottle Bill, with 89% of Democrats, 79% of Republicans and 79% of independent voters backing the measure.
4. To save municipalities money, as much as $36.5 million a year.
5. Modernizing the Bottle Bill would mean that glass and plastic bottles would actually be recycled. Right now, glass bottles are ground up and used to build roads and landfill cover and plastic bottles are downcycled into textiles, not made into bottles. We can create a more efficient, less wasteful system.
6. To tackle the plastic problem and move us towards a circular economy. Effective bottle bills reduce demand for new plastic by improving recycling rates, and establish the return infrastructure for refill and reuse systems - the ultimate goal.

Want to make even more of an impact? 

Have 2 more minutes? Call the offices of the Committee Members. Phone calls carry extra weight.

Hi, my name is _______ and I’m calling in as a Massachusetts resident. I often see littered bottles and nips, and so I strongly support the modernization of the Massachusetts Bottle Bill. I'd like to respectfully urge ____(Representative name)________ to vote in favor of the bottle bill updates as is reflected in the Senate's Climate Omnibus Bill. This issue is important to me because ___________. Thank you for your time.