Bottle Bill to double deposit fee not included in governor’s budget

Environmental groups and redemption center operators failed to get Governor Kathy Hochul to include the “Bottle Bill” in her executive budget.

The Bottle Bill would have doubled the 5-cent deposit fee for cans and bottles, the first such increase in 40 years.

Redemption centers would have seen a boost in revenue if the bill is passed.

A statement released by the supporting groups says, in part, “The governor’s failure to act to modernize the state’s most successful recycling program is indefensible. The public now looks to the Legislature to ensure that modernization is part of any final budget agreement.”