Connecticut2026Passed Legislature
SB00457
Changes to State Beverage Container Rules
Last scannedAug 25, 2026, 6:19 AM
In one sentence
This law stops people from getting refunds on bottles bought outside the state and lowers fees for large recycling centers that do not use barcode scanners.
What it does
- Prohibits collecting refund money for beverage containers that were not purchased in this state.
- Sets criminal penalties, including misdemeanors or felonies, based on how many out-of-state bottles a person tries to redeem.
- Reduces the handling fee paid by distributors to large redemption centers if those centers do not use automated barcode scanners.
- Stops the reduction of fees once a center starts using barcode scanning technology for all containers.
Who it affects
- People who try to redeem beverage containers bought outside this state
- Distributors who pay handling fees to redemption centers
- Redemption centers that process fifty million or more bottles per year
Limits and unknowns
- The law does not apply to carriers or warehouse workers who are legally transporting or storing bottles as merchandise.
- This text only covers specific sections of the bill and may not include all details about product stewardship programs, labeling rules, transshipment bans, short bagging prohibitions, escheat distributions, or pickup timelines mentioned in the official summary.
Plain language
Terms to know
- Refund value
- The money paid back when returning an empty beverage container.
- Handling fee
- A payment made by distributors to centers that collect and process returned bottles.
- Redemption center
- A facility where people return empty beverage containers for a refund.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
To (1) require the development of a product stewardship program for beverage containers sold in the state, (2) examine the legal implications of requiring state-specific labeling for beverage containers sold in the state, (3) establish a timeline for the picking up of beverage containers by distributors, (4) prohibit transshipment of beverage containers, (5) require the acceptance of certain processed beverage containers by distributors, (6) make permanent certain escheat distributions from beverage containers, and (7) prohibit the act of short bagging by redemption centers.
Official activity
Bill history
- Signed by the Governor
- Transmitted to the Secretary of State
- Transmitted by Secretary of the State to Governor
- Public Act 26-148LCO
- Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, House
- House Calendar Number 579
- House Adopted Senate Amendment Schedule A,B
- House Passed as Amended by Senate Amendment Schedule A,B
- In Concurrence
- Senate Adopted Senate Amendment Schedule B 5239
- Senate Passed as Amended by Senate Amendment Schedule A,B
- Transmitted Pursuant To Joint Rule 17
- Reported Out of Legislative Commissioners' OfficeLCO
- No New File by Committee on Judiciary
- Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate
- Joint FavorableJUD
- Filed with Legislative Commissioners' OfficeLCO
- Senate Adopted Senate Amendment Schedule A 4410
- Referred by Senate to Committee on Judiciary
- Immediate Transmittal