New York's Bottle Bill
Returnable Container Act (RCA)
NEW! The 2013-2014 New York State Fiscal Year Budget includes amendments to the Bottle Bill. A link to the 2013 Amendments (PDF, 24 kB) is located in the right column.
A summary of the amendments is also available on our New 2013 Amendments to New York State's Bottle Bill webpage, and includes important information about new requirements for deposit initiators, dealers, redemption centers, and redeemers.
The Success of New York's Bottle Bill
The New York State Returnable Container Act, also known as the "Bottle Bill", has been a tremendous success. Since its passage, the Bottle Bill has achieved significant impacts to create a cleaner and healthier New York. The Bottle Bill has:
- reduced roadside container litter by 70 percent;
- recycled 90 billion containers, equal to 6 million tons of materials, at no cost to local governments;
- saved more than 52 million barrels of oil; and
- eliminated 200,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases each year.
When the Bottle Bill was passed in 1982 non-carbonated drinks like iced teas, sport drinks and bottled water made up a small fraction of the beverage market. Today, non-carbonated water makes up more than 23 percent of the market.
More about New York's Bottle Bill:
- 2013 Amendments to New York State's Bottle Bill - In language accompanying the budget, the Returnable Container Act (known as "the Bottle Bill") was amended to improve the implementation of the law and enhance compliance.
- Frequently Asked Questions About the Bottle Bill - Here are some of the more frequently asked questions regarding the Bottle Bill.
- Get Your Money Back - Information on the RCA and getting your deposit back.
- What Does a Dealer Do? - A "dealer" is every person, firm or corporation who engages in the sale of beverages in beverage containers to a consumer for off-premises consumption in New York State.
- What is a Redemption Center and How Do they Work? - These are small businesses that accept empty beverage containers from the public and pay the refund value. Anyone may open a redemption center and determine the type of empty beverage containers to be accepted.
- Sign Requirements for Dealers - All dealers must post the "New York Bottle Bill of Rights" sign conspicuously at the point of sale.
- Third-Party Systems and Related Companies - A list of third-party systems and related companies for the Bottle Bill
