Gov. Phil Scott on Thursday vetoed a bill long sought by environmental groups to expand the state’s bottle redemption system to include more kinds of containers.
The law currently sets deposits for bottles and cans of carbonated beverages such as beer, wine coolers and malt beverages, as well as premixed cocktails and seltzer. Some liquor and spirits bottles are also covered.
Under the bill, water, juice and sports drink bottles would also be returnable for a five-cent deposit, while wine bottles would get a 15-cent deposit.
“The magnitude of the expansion here is dramatic,” Scott said during his weekly press conference. Scott said he was concerned about the cost to consumers and the impact of the expansion on successful curbside recycling programs. Supporters argue that the rewrite of the law, first passed in 1972, is needed to improve recycling rates and keep up with the fast-growing number and type of beverages on store shelves. They also say it would eliminate confusion over a system that can seem arbitrary.
Dairy products, plant-based beverages, infant formula, meal-replacement drinks and nonalcoholic cider would continue to be exempt. Scott and retailers have argued that the expansion would divert more containers from the curbside recycling system and create new burdens on an already unwieldy bottle-redemption system.
The bill, H.158, was passed quickly during the June 20 veto session. During the vote, Rep. Pattie McCoy (R-Poultney) called the bill “a solution in need of a problem.”
But the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, the state’s largest environmental organization, has long sought to expand the redemption program, particularly after high-profile examples of curbside recyclables not actually getting recycled. The Chittenden Solid Waste District paid a $400,000 fine in 2020 to settle allegations that it dumped thousands of tons of crushed glass in three places in Williston. The organization argued that the glass was properly reused as fill material.
Studies show that the redemption system produces a cleaner stream of bottles and cans that are more likely to be turned into new beverage containers or other useful products. But Scott said he thinks it makes more sense and would be simpler for people to improve the existing recycling program.
“I think it’s working, but I think it could be working better and we need to focus on that,” Scott said.
Lawmakers could try to override the veto next session or if they return later this year to address the possible impeachment charges against Franklin County officials under investigation for misconduct.
Related Stories
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
