Redemption rates for many bottle bill states declined in 2023; Massachusetts ranks lowest

The Container Recycling Institute said recent changes to programs in California and Connecticut could help improve numbers, citing promising Q1 data from the latter state this year.

Dive Brief:

• Redemption rates in most states with bottle bills decreased in 2023 compared with the previous year, according to data from the Container Recycling Institute. The numbers reflect a downward redemption rate trend since 2017.
• Beverage container redemption rates dropped by between 1% and 4% in most states, while Oregon’s rate increased by 1% and Vermont’s went up by less than 1%, CRI said.
• CRI anticipates recent changes in California and Connecticut’s programs should start showing improvements in coming years, but the group also said widespread bottle bill modernizations could further increase return rates.