The District’s Proposed Bottle Bill is for the People of DC

By Nat Leinbach

On Wednesday, October 1, over one hundred people attended the public hearing for the District’s Bill 26-0058 entitled Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Amendment Act of 2025. Also known as the DC Bottle Bill.

The DC Bottle Bill is a piece of environmental legislation that will have a great positive impact on the city. The Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens have supported the Bottle Bill since its inception in January 2025 (and even before). Our efforts come in cooperation with many organizations working to preserve the Anacostia River Watershed and DC’s natural resources.

The bill is intended to reduce litter pollution in the city and increase bottle recycling. It will also create a stream of revenue for people to collect redeemable containers that have been unclaimed. Keep reading to understand how this bill will work, the potential impact on the city and our residents, important exemptions to the bill, and its widespread support.

How will the bill work? The DC Bottle Bill will establish a deposit return system.

The proposed bill would initiate a program which places a refundable 10-cent deposit on beverage containers sold in the District. Qualifying containers (all materials except for those containing milk, baby formula, or medications) will be branded with a barcode to be scanned into the system and account for them when they are redeemed. Customers will get their 10 cents back when they return the bottles or cans to a store, reverse vending machine, or redemption center. 

In stores or redemption centers, customers can receive an immediate cash refund when they return a qualifying container. They can also receive a credit to their bottle bill account which can be applied to future purchases. A reverse vending machine (RVM) will print a ticket for customers when they deposit a return container that can be brought to retailers in exchange for a cash refund or a credit towards another purchase. The goal is for customers to deposit their empty bottles to appropriate receptacles so they can be recycled.

Some containers will inevitably not be returned leaving the deposits unclaimed. The majority of these unclaimed deposits (75%) will be held in a to-be-established District Recycling Fund. The fund will be used to pay for the city’s cost of implementing and overseeing the program, providing water filters to low-income residents, installing RVMs, erecting more water bottle refill stations in public spaces, and other programs increasing container reuse or reducing consumption of disposable containers. The minority of the funds (25%) will be allocated to the nonprofit administering the program. The proposed bill would establish this nonprofit beverage stewardship organization to manage and administer the program and it would be overseen by the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE).

Bottle bills are proven to work in other states.

Bottle bills are not a new concept. In the late 18th century and early 19th century most bottles (usually glass) were reused and select producers would offer refunds for returned bottles. Following World War II, mass production led to single use containers which fueled pollution in the United States. In the 70s, other states began mobilizing to combat pollution by instituting “bottle bills” which have been effective in incentivizing recycling to reduce waste. The result is less pollution in waterways, higher quality recyclables, and job creation.

According to The Bottle Bill Resource Guide, a project by the Container Recycling Institute, the redemption rate of containers fluctuates from year to year across states but averages to about 64 percent. Oregon, with a bottle bill over 50 years old, saw a return rate over 90% last year. The majority of containers are being returned to the system, keeping them out of waterways or landfills and turning them into usable recycled materials.

The DC Bottle Bill will reduce pollution in our streets and waterways.

Litter pollution is a big problem in DC and a huge portion of recyclable materials end up in the Anacostia River. The Anacostia watershed extends across DC and into Maryland, connecting with Kenilworth Marsh and Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. Plastic bottles alone account for three-fifths of all the trash (by weight) floating on the Anacostia River and lining its banks. One case study illustrates this especially clearly and it’s right in our backyard – the Nash Run Trash Trap Project.

Located in the Kenilworth neighborhood, Nash Run is a small stream that crosses into Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens around Douglas Street before emptying into the Anacostia River. Though it’s one of the smaller tributaries in DC, a study conducted by the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) for the DDOE found that “Nash Run had the highest number of trash items per 100 linear foot of any of the streams monitored in the study.”

Nash Run also serves as a storm sewer. When beverage containers and other trash are littered, they’re often washed into the street’s sewer system when it rains. Water from storm sewers goes straight into our rivers (as opposed to sanitary sewers that go to a wastewater treatment plant). So, in 2009, the AWS began monitoring the trash flowing through Nash Run and collecting data about the materials to illustrate a need for legislation like the DC Bottle Bill.

The AWS team installed a trash trap right near Douglas Street to collect waste that would otherwise flow freely into the Anacostia River. From 2009 to 2011, the first two years of study, about 45% of the collected trash was bottles and cans and 22% of trash was styrofoam. Following a styrofoam ban in DC combined with one in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties, volume analysis shows that only 4-5 % of the trash in the trap is now styrofoam. But the volume of trash for bottles and cans remains.

This trash trap is helpful in keeping the Anacostia watershed clean, but it’s just one location in a 176 square mile watershed with over a dozen tributaries. It also requires constant monitoring and maintenance. The data from this project is being leveraged for an even more effective strategy – fighting to get the proposed bottle bill passed in DC. A bottle bill could as much as triple our recycling rates and cut litter by up to 84%. Container pollution will certainly shrink (just like styrofoam did) with the whole of our DC community helping the cause.

The DC bottle bill will make recycling more accessible to low income residents.

The bottle bill also alleviates recycling accessibility concerns. In 2019, only 59% of US homes had access to curbside recycling, so many households don’t recycle. In DC, 337 million plastic bottles are sold each year, but only 64 million get recycled. A bottle bill would provide public outlets for recycling at RVMs and other redemption centers (e.g. stores, malls, stadiums, etc.). Opening access to various locations for recycling increases our capacity for recycling and minimizes our sole reliance on municipal recycling systems. This will create a lot of jobs too: installing RVMs, collecting and transporting redeemed materials, expanding recycling center capacity, and more. It also shifts the focus of recycling as an independent act for individuals or households to a people-powered endeavor that requires community, city, and state cooperation.

Furthermore, people will be able to collect littered bottles and cans and redeem them for otherwise unclaimed deposits. Like in other states, the DC bottle bill will provide extra cash for vulnerable residents who need it. This practice creates a sort of neighborhood task force to aid in controlling litter pollution. States with bottle bills have coined this term “canning” to refer to the practice of collecting littered depositable beverage containers to return and get the change. Some people support their families with this revenue. These “canners” are effectively being compensated for their labor cleaning up litter in the cities. Incentivizing litter collection will prevent further waterway pollution and specifically benefit people without homes or with low income.

The DC Bottle Bill won’t burden the wallets of residents or small businesses.

Because the 10 cents is a refundable deposit, the price of drinks won’t change. One misguided criticism for this bill is that it would make drinks more expensive, but that’s not what happens practically when these laws are enacted. Ten other states in the U.S. have bottle bills and the price of beverages have remained unchanged. There’s no existing evidence to support an increase in beverage prices.

Additionally, small businesses are exempt from collecting and redeeming beverage containers. Retailers that are considered “very small” (less than 2,000 square feet) are not required to redeem containers. This insulates them from the brunt of potential implementation costs. Additionally, hotels, restaurants, and bars that serve beverages are not required to charge, collect, or reimburse deposits. Even some smaller beverage distributors have exemptions from fees.

Under the proposed plan, participating retailers and the city do not bear significant costs to jumpstart the program. Retailers would get paid a “handling fee” for every container they take back. This fee is paid by the proposed nonprofit which will be entirely funded by beverage distributors. Further, any oversight costs incurred by the DOEE will be covered by a registration fee beverage distributors will pay the agency, any penalties assessed to the beverage container stewardship organization for not meeting its obligations under the bill, and unclaimed deposits from the District Recycling Fund.

There are some potential costs associated with participating retailers like additional training for staff tasked with managing the container returns. Participating retailers would be required to accept any beverage container of the same types sold at the establishment, even if the container wasn’t sold there originally. Some retailers are also concerned about registration fees or limited space in small storefronts being taken up by RVMs. These costs, however, are the required responsibility of businesses to help support the protection of our District’s natural resources.

While the exact fees have not yet been determined, assessments will be conducted to determine the program’s specific costs. But the DC Bottle Bill is specifically designed to target large beverage companies for the most substantial fees.

Despite some criticism, the DC Bottle Bill is widely supported.

The DC Bottle bill was officially introduced by Brianne Nadeau on January 16, 2025, with 11 co-introducers. According to Nadeau, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners in fourteen localities have expressed support for the bill. At the public hearing for the bill on October 1, 2025, there were more than 80 testimonies in favor of the bill while there were only 41 against.

The bill is opposed largely by beverage distributors who will pay fees for the program’s initiation, not DC residents, environmentalists, and many businesses. DC Mayor Muriel E. Bowser said she opposes the bill because “it’s bad for business,” but most stakeholders overwhelmingly support this legislation.

The DC Bottle Bill has been a long time coming. 

This is not the first time the city of DC has moved to institute a bottle bill. It’s also not the first time beverage companies have responded with major opposition. Historically, beverage distributors across the nation always fight bottle bills because it forces them to retribute for their pollution-fueling business models. This happened in DC too.

In 1987, a very similar bottle bill was put to a public vote in the District and rejected. Like in other states, these defeats are often regarded as marketing failures. According to spending records, bottle bill opposition forces spend significantly larger amounts on their messaging campaigns. In DC, the 1987 Initiative 28 was supported by proponents with $80,000 while opponents leveraged a whopping $2,297,000 to promote harmful messaging. That’s why leadership from community advocates is so important to let DC residents know that this bill will improve our city, their neighborhood natural resources, and their health.

One such leader is Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens board member Joanne Slaight. Following her participation in the AWS Watershed Stewards Academy in the Spring of 2024, Slaight became a collaborator with other environmental activists pushing for the DC bottle bill. Her capstone project at the Stewards Academy ignited a spark of activism that has led her to advocate at ANC meetings across the District and testify at the public hearing on October 1. A 40-year resident of DC herself, Slaight reflects on kayaking the Anacostia River: “We were kayaking and saw a beautiful heron. You just couldn’t get a picture of the bird without getting the bottles in it too, it’s striking.”

Proponents of this bill understand the need for it and are organizing to convince our city council to recognize it too. The push includes important leadership from over 30 organizations in 3RC for DC – the Return, Refund and Recycle Coalition for DC. This campaign is co-founded by The DC Environmental Network (DCEN), Sierra Club DC Chapter, and more. It also includes support from the Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens board members and staff have attended hearings and rallies. Our Executive Director has personally written to local council members to articulate our support for the bill. Over years of effort from resident activists and organizational partnerships, this project is a testament to community collaboration. DC has been pushing for this legislation for years.

The DC Bottle Bill has been referred to the Committee on Business and Economic Development and the Committee on Transportation and the Environment. Following the hearing on October 1 with the former, both committees will need to “markup” the bill and then it will go to the full City Council for a vote. Environmental leaders and resident organizers throughout DC are remaining active to keep momentum for the final push.