Connecticut Package Stores Propose Recycling Fee Over Bottle Deposits

The Connecticut Package Stores Association has proposed a 10-cent recycling fee as an alternative to Gov. Ned Lamont’s 25-cent deposit proposal.

In February, the Lamont administration estimated that a 25-cent deposit on full-sized liquor bottles would raise $4.4 million for the state next fiscal year and $6 million in 2020-21. According to a Hartford Business report, the administration projected a 5-cent deposit on nips would raise $500,000 next fiscal year and $600,000 in 2020-21.

The report also noted that the association did not offer a specific revenue projection from its counter-proposals but said in a memo that its proposals would generate "millions of dollars beyond the revenue set by the governor."

Hartford Business has more details:

Connecticut's package stores have proposed a 10-cent "recycling fee" as a compromise alternative to the 25-cent deposit Gov. Ned Lamont recommended last month.

The Connecticut Package Stores Association also is asking Lamont and the legislature's Environment Committee to consider a 10-cent fee on 50 milliliter "nip" bottles, though consumers could return that to reclaim a nickel deposit.

The association argued against expanding the state's bottle recycling program to include large and medium-sized liquor bottles as Lamont suggested in his Feb. 20 budget proposal.

Read the full article here.