Rhode Island General Assembly Punts Bottle Bill to Yet Another Study
The Rhode Island General Assembly loves to study, but it fails to learn. Taxpayers, residents, and voters, though, learn plenty from these never-ending study sessions. Mostly, they learn that lawmakers like to waste time and money and that special interests rule.
A 20-member Plastic Bottle Waste Commission examined the concept of establishing a bottle bill in Rhode Island over a two-year span starting in the summer of 2023. Thirteen hearings were held, comments gathered, and testimony heard. A supermajority of this panel—comprising lawmakers, environmental advocates, and industry representatives—ultimately suggested that the General Assembly enact a bottle bill, an extended producer responsibility framework, or a combination of both to boost recycling rates and reduce annual landfilled waste.
A Decade of Delay on Packaging and Waste
In April 2025, the commission released an 18-page report that outlined its thinking. It noted that the recycling system in Rhode Island is not working well enough, with too much recyclable packaging ending up in the landfill, as well as in streets and waterways. Over the course of 24 months, the commission developed a strategy aimed at reducing litter and preserving capacity at Central Landfill. Unsurprisingly, the state decided to hold the idea for further study.
Another round of discussion and study is upon us. This mirrors the performance the state staged to eventually ban plastic bags, which involved endless discussion, reams of testimony, ceaseless hearings, and taxpayer-funded studies. It took 10 years to ban those petroleum pouches, and the Rhode Island economy didn’t crater as a result.
Four of New England’s states long have had a bottle bill: Vermont since 1972, Maine since 1976, Connecticut since 1978, and Massachusetts since 1981. The Ocean State and the Live Free or Die State are slow learners.
Beverage Industry Opponents Delay Bottle Bill Through Further Study
The Coca-Cola Co. and the nips-affectionate Rhode Island Liquor Operators Collaborative rank among those resisting any form of bottle legislation. Three members of the Plastic Bottle Waste Commission pushed Rhode Island’s bottle bill concept further into the future. They argued more study was needed on modernizing the state’s existing recycling system. Their delay tactic was granted.
Legislation mandating a statewide evaluation of potential beverage container redemption, packaging, and recycling programs was enacted by the General Assembly in 2025, shortly after the Plastic Bottle Waste Commission’s inquiry was shelved. Last month marked the release of a draft version of this assessment concerning a prospective beverage container redemption and packaging recycling framework.
The circular economy consulting firm retained to perform the evaluation reached the identical verdict as the Plastic Bottle Waste Commission: Implementing both a bottle bill and an extended producer responsibility program simultaneously represents the optimal approach if Rhode Island seeks to curb litter and elevate recycling rates.
Public Comment and What Happens Next
The draft report is open to public comment on the Department of Environmental Management website until Nov. 16.
Frank Carini can be reached at [email protected].
