D.C. leaders are introducing a bill aimed at reducing litter and improving recycling rates. Referred to as the “bottle bill”, the Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Amendment Act of 2025 was introduced by Ward 1 councilmember Brianne Nadeau. It has the support of 10 other councilmembers.
Under the proposal, consumers pay a 10-cent deposit on beverage bottles and cans at the store. Once they return their empty bottles to the store, they get their 10 cents back. “It鈥檚 going to be a great opportunity for residents. I think they鈥檒l see pretty quickly that it鈥檚 a way to earn money. Word gets out pretty fast when something becomes valuable and redeemable,” Councilmember Nadeau said.
According to Nadeau, the bill would also set up a non-profit stewardship organization to handle the logistics of sorting the bottles and sending them to a recycling facility. Retailers get a handling fee for collecting the bottles, while small retailers and restaurants, bars, and hotels would be exempt.
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Author: Lili Zheng, Fox 5 Washington DC
Photo by Suzy Hazelwood: