HSB 595

This bill provides for the repeal of the beverage containers control program, commonly referred to as the “bottle bill”. Under current law, when a distributor sells beverages in eligible containers to a dealer, the distributor adds cents per eligible container to the sale price. When a dealer sells beverages in eligible containers to a consumer, the dealer adds the 5-cent deposit to the sale price of each beverage container. A consumer can take eligible beverage containers to a dealer, dealer agent, or redemption center and receive a 5-cent refund for every eligible beverage container that the consumer returns. A distributor collects eligible containers from a dealer, dealer agent, or redemption center, at which time the distributor pays the dealer, dealer agent, or redemption center cents per eligible container plus a handling fee of an additional cent per eligible container. _____ to charge a consumer the refund value for each beverage container, repeals the requirement that the refund value be stated on containers, and repeals provisions relating to redemption center approval. Six months thereafter, the bill repeals the remaining provisions of the program, including provisions allowing a consumer to return beverage containers in exchange for the refund value, allowing a dealer or a person operating a redemption center to return beverage containers to a distributor in exchange for the refund value and handling fee, allowing refusal of beverage containers, and providing for associated penalties.1. The bill amends various Code provisions to conform with changes to the beverage containers control program as changes to the program become effective.