A change to Connecticut’s bottle deposit law has been a setback for the state’s recycling progress. Photo: Shutterstock
Connecticut just took a big step back in its commitment to recycling. In 2021, legislators voted to modernize and expand the state’s bottle return program by raising the deposit fee and making more types of beverage containers eligible. Last month, these same legislators inexplicably chose to weaken the program by approving a measure that will remove two popular container types from it altogether: spirit-based beverages and canned cocktails (that is, hard seltzers).
The measure, Senate Bill 895, was unpopular with the public. But can you guess who did support it? The beverage industry, of course, including Coke and Pepsi.
The change to the bill might seem small, but it will have a big impact. It means more beverage containers will end up burned in incinerators,…