Public support for bottle bill is strong in RI. Here's why | Opinion

Walk along any Rhode Island street or stretch of shoreline, and the evidence is clear: our state is covered in beverage container litter. Plastic bottles, aluminum cans and tiny alcohol “nips” litter our neighborhoods and pollute our waterways. It’s time to turn the tide.

The General Assembly has an opportunity to address this pollution problem by passing House Bill 6207 and Senate Bill 996 – landmark legislation that would establish a deposit return system for beverage containers (also known as a bottle bill). This long-overdue solution will reduce litter, improve recycling and protect our environment, without burdening taxpayers or retailers.

During last fall’s International Coastal Cleanup, Rhode Island volunteers removed over 33,000 beverage-related items from our shorelines – plastic bottles, glass bottles, caps and aluminum cans. Plastic, in particular, poses a long-term hazard, breaking down into microplastics that now permeate Narragansett Bay’s sediment. A 2023 University of Rhode Island study found roughly 1,000 tons of microplastic at the bay’s bottom.

Rhode Island’s recycling system is failing to manage this crisis. We currently bury roughly 10,000 tons of recyclable beverage containers in the state’s only landfill every year. Meanwhile, our statewide recycling rate stands at just 28%, far below what bottle deposit states achieve. Nine of the top 10 states for recycling have bottle deposit programs. Rhode Island should be among them.

H6207/S996 also establishes an Extended Producer Responsibility program for all other packaging and printed paper. Together, the program and deposit return system shift the burden of waste management off taxpayers and municipalities and onto the companies that produce the waste. This “polluter pays” principle is a cornerstone of smart environmental policy. By making producers responsible for the full life cycle of their packaging, we encourage better design, higher recycling rates, and significant cost savings for cities and towns.

It’s important to note how much this bill has evolved from previous versions to address concerns from opponents. Unlike the systems in place in Massachusetts and Connecticut, H6207/S996 doesn’t force retailers to collect empties, and it exempts bars and restaurants from collecting deposits on on-site beverage sales – since those bottles never leave the premises. Beverage distributors have no role in the system.

It also creates flexibility for producers to establish convenient redemption centers and ensures that all unclaimed deposits are reinvested into the system to lower costs, expand redemption options and improve performance.

The legislative study commission that preceded it included representatives from the beverage industry, retailers, environmental organizations and lawmakers. After hearing from experts from around the country and examining data from states with and without bottle deposit programs, it became clear that bottle bills are a proven and effective policy that both reduces litter and improves recycling. This legislation reflects the recommendations of that study commission and is a proposal that advances environmental goals while accommodating business concerns.

Public support for bottle deposit systems is strong, particularly in the states and countries that have had these systems in place for decades. Over 80% of Americans support such programs and in a recent poll Rhode Islanders backed the proposal by a 27-point margin.

Based on responses to our organizations’ 2024 candidate questionnaires, majorities of both state senators and representatives support a bottle bill. If the public supports a bottle bill, and state legislators support a bottle bill, and the study commission that spent 18 months studying the issue supports a bottle bill, why hasn’t the General Assembly brought it to a vote?

House Bill 6207 and Senate Bill 996 are not just good policy – it’s the right thing to do for our environment, economy and future generations. Let’s make 2025 the year that we finally join our neighboring states and pass the bottle bill.

Jed Thorp is the director of advocacy for Save The Bay. Emily Howe is the Rhode Island director for Clean Water Action.