Senator Rachel May Leads the Effort to Modernize New York’s 40-Year-Old Bottle Bill

Syracuse, NY – Senator Rachel May (D-Onondaga, Cayuga) advanced her Bigger, Better Bottle Bill through the Environmental Conservation Committee and successfully advocated to include it in the Senate’s One-House Budget.

Senator May’s Bigger, Better Bottle Bill (S237) will create jobs, increase recycling, and reduce litter by adding carbonated beverages, wine, and liquor to the bottle list while raising the deposit from a nickel to a dime.

“After 40 years, it’s time to modernize New York’s returnables law with my Bigger, Better Bottle Bill. When the original bottle bill was implemented in 1983, the variety of bottles we use was much narrower than today. So, it only makes sense to add bottles to the list, making our communities cleaner and our recycling system more resilient by reducing waste. Increasing the deposit from a nickel to a dime will help incentivize the return of bottles, which will reduce litter, create jobs at redemption centers, and support community members who salvage bottles and cans for recycling. The uncollected bottle deposits will go into New York’s successful environmental protection fund, which invests in many projects to help protect our environment. I look forward to working with Governor Hochul and my colleagues in the Senate Majority to make the Bigger, Better Bottle Bill a reality,” said Senator Rachel May.