DC council considers bottle deposit bill to fight river pollution
DC eyes bottle deposit bill
DC council is considering a bottle deposit system in the District, aimed at cutting back on literring and creating economic opportunities.
WASHINGTON - In a new proposal being considered by the D.C. council, everytime a customer buys a beverage in D.C., they’ll pay an extra dime, and when they return the bottle, they get the dime back.
A Need:
FOX 5 got a tour Tuesday of the Anacostia River from the water. Several organizations exist that clean up the river. Their collective data shows 60% of the trash collected in the river are plastic bottles.
Vondre Walston runs one of those organizations, Ward 8 Woods, and says litter in DC gets washed into the sewer system and ends up in the Anacostia River.
Council Member Brianne Nadeau says in the 10 states and dozens of countries where there are bottle deposits, it reduces litter by up to 70-80%.
"Bottle bills put the responsibility of addressing the problem on beverage companies rather than taxpayers or the government," Nadeau said. "They also put money back into our local communities … while cleaning up our streets and rivers."
The Concerns:
Council Member Nadeau stresses that the brunt of the cost will be borne by the largest beverage distributors in the District of Columbia.
The bill would essentially set up a commission to handle all things bottle deposit.
But there’s concern about potential costs for smaller businesses.
Brandon Skall is the CEO and Co-Founder of DC Brau. He says small breweries like his haven’t fully recovered from pandemic-era losses. While he’s supportive of doing something to help the litter problem, he’s hoping for some exemptions in the final bill that would lessen the burden on his business.
"We think the intentions are all in the right place. It's something everybody can get behind, including us. But there might be some better ways to do it. Or perhaps this is the way to do. But we think it needs a lot more time spent on processing research, figuring out really what's going to be the most effective and successful way to implement something like this without putting undue burden on a lot of the businesses that would be affected," Skall said.
Council Member Nadeau says there are carve-outs for businesses under 2,000 square feet and handling fees that will help incentivize businesses to collect bottles.
What's next:
200 people are expected to speak at a Wednesday hearing on this.
FOX 5 reached out to the organization that represents the largest beverage distributors and have not heard back.