Message Your Washington Reps

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Over the next few weeks, Washington State lawmakers are considering a Bottle Bill (HB 1607/SB 5502 Beverage Container Refund Program) that would establish a deposit-return system for beverage containers. By placing a small returnable deposit on bottles and cans, it incentivizes consumers to return them for recycling and reuse, thereby reducing the plastic and waste polluting our natural environment. 

Beverage containers account for 3 of the top 5 types of litter collected along Washington's coasts each year. The proposed bill would drastically cut down the 26 million pounds of litter found along our roads, highways and coastlines. 

A Washington Bottle Bill would:

• Protect treasured marine species in the Pacific Northwest like sea lions, salmon, orcas and coastal birds.
• Help the state's fishing industries by reducing harmful impacts of plastic pollution and microplastics.
• Reduce litter and waste in neighborhoods, communities, and the natural environment.
• Tackle the plastic problem by reducing single-use plastic pollution and boosting a circular reuse economy for beverages.
• Protect human health by reducing microplastics and limiting the plastic waste that enters the environment, our food systems and human bodies.
• Hold corporations accountable by shifting the financial burden of waste management to the beverage industry.
• Save local government and taxpayer money. Litter alone costs the state $12 million per year in cleanup costs.