New Yorkers For Better Recycling

New York’s bottle deposit system is broken. It’s outdated, financially unstable and more than $100 million worth of bottles are not returned each year.

It is one of the nation’s least efficient systems. In fact, in 2024, redemption rates fell statewide by one of the largest margins in the nation.

Fraud is costing the state tens of millions of dollars a year.

Redemption centers are in financial trouble. Costs to consumers and taxpayers keep going up.

We need to fix the state’s deposit program and avoid increasing costs on New York’s working families and small businesses.

NEW YORKERS DESERVE BETTER.

The cost of living in New York is already out of control, working families and small businesses across the state can’t afford higher grocery prices.

We stand opposed to costly, inefficient and untested proposals that could increase the cost of living for New Yorkers, apply band-aids to broken systems that need reform, could hurt good-paying jobs across the state and cause burdensome confusion for hardworking New Yorkers and small businesses.

THE WRONG SOLUTIONS

RECYCLING

We need to work together to fix New York’s broken recycling system without making living in the state more expensive.

Extended Producer Responsibility

Legislators are considering costly and inefficient Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation (S.1464/A.1749) that will presumably hurt New York families and threaten local businesses and employees.

This bill is costly and poorly designed, and will most likely remove products from the shelves and drive up grocery costs for New Yorkers.

There are better ways to improve recycling and reduce litter in the state.

The Bigger Bottle Bill

Lawmakers are proposing a bottle bill (S.5684/A.6543) that would increase costs of everyday beverages and further burden working families, local businesses and their employees.

It would double down on a broken bottle deposit system – rife with fraud and inefficiency – without making meaningful reforms.

There is a better way that is a win for everybody.

THERE’S A BETTER WAY

A bill from Senator Chris Ryan and Assemblymember Amanda Septimo (S.7722A/A.8391) will modernize the state’s existing bottle deposit system without placing additional financial burdens on hardworking New Yorkers and small businesses who are already struggling.

These reforms will:

  • Hold down the cost of beverages for working families across New York.
  • Protect good-paying union jobs and provide support to small businesses in communities across the state.
  • Help local redemption centers lessen their burden from the complicated process of separating the containers and recouping their losses, which have resulted from the current antiquated system.
  • Give New Yorkers the confidence of knowing that the recycling system is working and that the money from deposits isn’t being misused and is instead going back into the state to improve our environment.

GRAS

The proposed GRAS bills (S.1239-E /A.1556E) would create a duplicative new state bureaucracy requiring enormous resources the state simply does not have. They would confuse consumers about the safety of food ingredients and increase costs for food producers, which will lead to increased prices at the grocery store.

Join us in the fight for New York’s environment, families, and small businesses!

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Brought to you by New Yorkers for Better Recycling with support from American Beverage Association.