Green Mountain Times

Vermont's bottle redemption act, originally established in 1973, is set for potential modernization as the House Ways & Means Committee prepares to finalize its work on S.158, a bill aimed at expanding the state's bottle deposit legislation. The proposed expansion seeks to include more recyclable materials such as plastic bottles and glass wine bottles into the program.

The House Natural Resources Committee had previously passed this bill on March 1, 2021. Key changes proposed in the bill include increasing the current 5-cent deposit amount on containers and raising the fee paid to redemption centers from 4 cents to 5 cents.

Additionally, the bill proposes the establishment of a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) stewardship program. This program would be created by manufacturers with legislative approval and would require all manufacturers to participate.

The House Ways & Means Committee plans to pass this bill out of committee by March 14, 2023.