Signed by Governor Ned Lamont

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that expands the types of bottles and cans that can be recycled at redemption centers and increases the payout from 5 cents to 10 cents.

Highlights:

• Defines "redemption center" as any facility created to redeem empty beverage containers from consumers or to collect and sort empty beverage containers from dealers and to prepare such containers for redemption by the appropriate distributors (Sec. 1-9).

• Requires every beverage container containing a noncarbonated beverage sold or offered for sale in this state  to have a refund value, except for beverage containers containing a noncarbonated beverage that are (Sec. 2.a-1)

• Sold or offered for sale for consumption on an interstate passenger carrier; or

• That comprises any dealer's existing inventory.

• Prohibits creating a redemption center without registering with the commissioner on a form provided by the commissioner with such information as the commissioner deems necessary including (Sec. 3.a):

• The name of the business principles of the redemption center and the address of the business;

• The name and address of the sponsors and dealers to be served by the redemption center;

• The types of beverage containers to be accepted;

• The hours of operation; and

• Whether beverage containers will be accepted by consumers.

• Requires each deposit initiator to open a special interest-bearing account at a Connecticut branch of a financial institution, to the credit of the deposit initiator. Each deposit initiator will deposit in such an account an amount equal to the refund value for each beverage container sold by such deposit initiator (Sec. 4.a).

• Authorizes any manufacturer who bottles and sell the following to apply to the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection for an exemption from the requirements (Sec. 5): 

• 250,000 or fewer beverage containers containing a noncarbonated beverage that are 20 ounces or less in size each calendar year, or

• 100,000 gallons or less of juice in beverage containers each calendar year, may apply to the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection for an exemption from the requirements

• Requires the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection to develop an incentive program to assist municipalities that wish to adopt a unit-based pricing program for solid waste disposal in such municipalities. The commissioner will identify funding sources to be utilized in providing such incentives to municipalities (Sec. 6).

• Specifies any dealer whose place of business is part of a chain engaged in the same general field of business that operates ten or more units in this state under common ownership and whose business has not less than 10,000 square feet devoted to the display of merchandise for sale to the public will install and maintain not less than two reverse vending machines at such dealer's place of business (Sec. 7).

• Requires memorandum of agreement to include, but not be limited to, provisions that delineate and assign responsibility among the parties for (Sec. 8):

• Establishing and implementing such collection systems and methods;

• Transporting collected containers to any such facility;

• Properly recycling and managing any containers not accepted by any such facility;

• Executing any financial obligations among the parties according to such agreement;

• Recordkeeping of volume, tonnage, and categories of containers processed, annually, according to such agreement; and

• Auditing costs, efficiencies, and benefits of such agreement.

Full Bill Text