PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island’s push for a bottle redemption program has stalled after state lawmakers on June 16 called for more study of the proposed bill.
The amended bill, backed by House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Valarie Lawson, now directs the R.I. Department of Environmental Management to hire a consultant and report back to lawmakers with recommendations by December 2026.
“There is still a great deal of conflicting data as to the implementation of best practices to address the problems of improving and disposing of our recyclable products, as well as enhancing our anti-littering efforts," Shekarchi and Lawson said in a joint statement. "We believe it would be in the best interests of Rhode Islanders to conduct a needs assessment, as other states that have adopted programs have done. We have the full faith and confidence in DEM, Resource Recovery and other key stakeholders who will develop a report to inform us on the best approaches and costs to address this important environmental issue.”
Critics of the bottle bill argue it would drive up costs while negatively impacting small businesses.
On June 5, hundreds of small-business owners from across Rhode Island – as well as the state’s largest Chamber of Commerce –
wrote a letter urging state leaders to defeat the legislation, which would overhaul the state’s recycling program by imposing a 10-cent refundable deposit on nearly all bottled and canned beverages sold across the state.
Bottle bill laws, currently enacted in 10 states including both Massachusetts and Connecticut, require consumers to pay a refundable deposit on beverage containers up front, which can be redeemed upon return to designated collection points or sometimes the store where it was purchased. Rhode Island does not currently have a statewide system to return and redeem empty bottles or cans.
Meanwhile, environmental advocates are still pressing for the bottle bill to pass, pointing to widespread public backing and the growing urgency of tackling plastic pollution.
Save the Bay Advocacy Coordinator Jed Thorp said "obvious disappointment that the bottle bill will not become law this year," adding there's already been more than enough research to support passing it now.
"We had a good bill this year that reflected the work and recommendations of the study commission that spent 18-months doing a deep dive on this issue," Thorp said. "And based on responses to candidate questionnaires, a majority of both House and Senate members had indicated their support."
Thorp added that the and
House and Senate leaders are currently working to include parts of the original bottle redemption proposal – backed by Rep. Carol McEntee, D-South Kingstown, and Sen. Mark McKenney, D-Warwick, who led the study commission – into the amended bill language.
The study found that Rhode Island’s recycling rate is a “measly” 26%, McEntee wrote in an April 14 press release. She said that a bottle bill program would boost recycling rates for beverage containers – items that are highly recyclable but often end up as litter.
Matthew McNulty is a PBN staff writer. He can be reached at McNulty@PBN.com or on X at @MattMcNultyNYC.
